Former Philadelphia Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin hangs his cleats up

When one of the greatest tight ends of all time retires, it gets a ton of attention, but Jeremy Maclin’s decision to do the same thing didn’t go unnoticed by Philadelphia Eagles fans.

Can we actually use the phrase ‘once a member of the Philadelphia Eagles, always a member of the Philadelphia Eagles’? When one of the greatest receivers of all time, Rob Gronkowski, announces his retirement, it’s definitely going to get some attention, even if we all knew it was likely. That, no doubt, overshadowed Jeremy Maclin‘s decision to do the same thing.

Don’t let yourself get fooled though. There isn’t a die-hard Eagles fan alive that missed the news. Is it us or should the Eagles make ‘Bleed Green’ an official hashtag? Indeed, that’s exactly what fans of this great team do.

On Sunday, March 24th, Maclin announced his retirement at his wife’s baby shower. Take a look:

Jeremy Maclin hauled in 514 receptions for 6,835 yards and 49 touchdowns over a career that spanned nine NFL seasons. Philly made him the 19th-overall selection in 2009’s NFL Draft (a strange move for Andy Reid, who normally took an offensive lineman or defensive lineman in the first round).

He caught passes from Donovan McNabb, Nick Foles, Michael Vick and even Mark Sanchez. He played for Reid and Chip Kelly.

He even set records as he once became the youngest player to score a touchdown in a playoff game, and he broke the Eagles record for the most receiving yards in a playoff game with 146 yards versus the Dallas Cowboys in the 2010 NFC Wildcard game.

His jersey may never be retired. It’s safe to say he’s probably not going to find his way into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. His final game was played in another team’s jersey, but trust and believe Maclin is in the hearts of Eagles fans forever. Once an Eagle, always an Eagle.

We, at ITI, wish him all of the best in the future.