Less than a week after a player Chip Kelly coached in college was slated to reunite with him in Philadelphia, a current Eagle player is headed elsewhere to join a former coach of his.
Chris Mortensen of ESPN reported Sunday night that free agent wide receiver Jeremy Maclin will be signing a new deal with the Kansas City Chiefs. The move means Maclin will once again be playing under Andy Reid who had been his coach for the first four years of his NFL career. Reid was fired from the Eagles after the 2012 season and was replaced by Kelly who previously coached at Oregon.
Maclin was one of the comeback players of 2014. After missing the entire 2013 season due to a torn ACL suffered during training camp, he became one of Nick Foles’ (and later Mark Sanchez’s) favorite targets one year later. He would finish the regular season ranked ninth league-wide in receiving yards (1,318) and also added ten touchdowns. His 15.5 yards/reception ranked tied for fifth amongst wideouts with at least 50 receptions.
REPORT: Chris Mortensen says WR Jeremy Maclin will sign with the Kansas City Chiefs Tuesday.
— Eagles Nation (@PHLEaglesNation) March 9, 2015
The Eagles have clearly been amongst the most active teams leading up to the official start of free agency. Last Tuesday, it was announced that the team was dealing running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso who played for Kelly at Oregon. Then came a flurry of moves today which included Philadelphia acquiring running back Frank Gore from San Francisco and cornerback Byron Maxwell from the Super Bowl XLIX runners-up Seattle Seahawks.
Backup quarterback Mark Sanchez was also re-signed.
With the Eagles dealing another component to their fairly potent offense and having already added a running back to replace McCoy, speculation will probably abound over the next few days as to who will replace Maclin in Philly’s receiving corps. The free agent market remains intriguing, with players such as Michael Crabtree, Eddie Royal and Reggie Wayne possible options.
Thank you for reading. Please take a moment to follow me on Twitter – @LWOS_JB3. Support LWOS by following us on Twitter – @LastWordOnSport and @LWOSworld – and “liking” our Facebook page.
Have you tuned into Last Word On Sports Radio? LWOS is pleased to bring you 24/7 sports radio to your PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. What are you waiting for?
Main Photo:
