No, the Philadelphia Eagles should not sign Jeremy Maclin
By Ryan Quigley
As good as Jeremy Maclin was with the Philadelphia Eagles, it wouldn’t be a great idea for the team to bring him back.
In case you missed it, the Kansas City Chiefs have released former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and people are already wondering if the Eagles should bring back the 29-year-old receiver.
To be straightforward, no, the Eagles should not bring him back. And it feels weird saying that. After all, this is a guy who caught 85 balls for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns in an Eagles uniform just a couple years ago. Unfortunately, bringing Maclin back just doesn’t seem all that plausible.
The Eagles have already gone above and beyond to upgrade their talent at wide receiver this offseason. Not only did the Eagles sign Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith in free agency, but they also selected a couple promising young wideouts in Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson in the 2017 NFL Draft. Objectively, neither of the rookie wideouts, or Smith, for that matter, a guaranteed to be successful in midnight green. But the receiving corps currently appears to be a strength for the offense in 2017.
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It also doesn’t help that the Eagles aren’t exactly in a terrific financial situation. Philadelphia only has about $5 million in cap space. Even if the Eagles did have the cap space to sign Maclin, though, would it really be a good idea? There’s obviously a reason why the Chiefs chose to release Maclin. Despite having a solid 2015 season, Maclin’s productivity fell off a cliff in 2016. He is closing in on 30 years old and has taken a beating over the course of his career. Would he really be worth the money he’d command from the Eagles?
Maclin was undoubtedly a difference maker during his six years in Philadelphia and has obvious ties to Doug Pederson. But it just doesn’t seem all that realistic for Philadelphia to bring him back, even though it would be pretty cool to see him in an Eagles uniform again.