Seeing Jeremy Maclin sign with the Chiefs really added salt to the wound for Eagles fans. Though some may agree that $11 million a year is too much to pay him, reports surfaced last week that Maclin and the Eagles had reached an agreement on a contract just to find out later that they hadn't agreed on terms and the wideout was heading to Kansas City.
After signing on the dotted lines for a five-year deal worth $55 million, $22.5 guaranteed, Maclin seemed to have no hard feelings about his departure from the Eagles. NJ.com's Matt Lombardo has the details from Maclin:
"This one was kind of a decision. The decision that I made, the other two guys were in a different situation," Maclin said of the similarities between his departure and those of Jackson and McCoy over the past two years during an appearance on Sirius NFL Radio. "I respect Chip. I think Chip is a wonderful coach. I think he is a great person. He's always been respectful to me. I've been respectful to him. I think he's going to do great in Philadelphia. People just need to let Chip do what he needs to do and I think he needs to stop taking heat for it."
Whether or not the Philadelphia fans give Chip Kelly the benefit of the doubt remains to be seen. He's made quite a splash in free agency, not only losing LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin, but also adding top free agent running backs, DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews. In addition to that, they solidified their secondary by signing both Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond III to cnotracts.
The Eagles will need to find a replacement for Maclin, but either way, players like Riley Cooper, Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff will surely have to pick up their game for the team to move the ball down the field in the coming season.
In Maclin's introductory press conference, he mentioned that Kansas City and Philadelphia were his only two choice, but it was familiar faces that drew him to sign with the Chiefs.
For Maclin, the decision to come back to the Midwest wasn’t just about the proximity to family and his roots, but because of the faces he’d see every day at work as well.
“In the back of my mind, it was either I was going stay in Philadelphia or come to Kansas City,” Maclin said of his free agent status. “Both of those situations made sense. I think with my personality and kind of the way I am, I think this fits me a little better.
“And then also coach (Andy) Reid, (receivers coach David) Culley, (offensive coordinator) Doug (Pederson), a lot of guys who I had a chance to build relationships with in Philadelphia are here.
“It just felt like home. It is home and I’m excited about that.”
Maclin spent four years in Philadelphia with much of the Chiefs’ current staff under coach Reid (2009-12), who left in 2013 for Kansas City and brought many familiar faces with him. [KCChiefs.com]
In his career with the Eagles, Maclin caught 343 passes for 4,771 yards and 36 touchdowns.
