In a surprising Friday evening announcement, Jeremy Maclin has been cut from the Kansas City Chiefs. After a six-year tenure with Head Coach Andy Reid – following him from the Philadelphia Eagles – Maclin will move on from being Reid’s number one wide receiver.
A surprise: The #Chiefs released WR Jeremy Maclin. He had a $12.4M cap hit… and $7M in dead money.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 2, 2017
Kansas City Chiefs Release Jeremy Maclin
Maclin completed 2015 with 1,088 yards, but injuries and a slow offensive start to 2016 resulted in only 12 games and 44 receptions. Although he was used as a feature receiver, Maclin only had six games where his stat line met the definition most look for in a wide receiver of his caliber. All six of those games came in 2015, and thus set a narrative for 2017 where Maclin was going to re-connect with quarterback Alex Smith.
That story will never be. Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey stated, “I’d like to thank Jeremy for his effort and dedication the past two season. I have great respect for all players which makes decisions like these very difficult, but we felt it was in the best interest of our club moving forward to part ways at this time. We wish Jeremy the best as he continues in his career.”
Coach Andy Reid also chimed in, “These decisions are never easy, especially with a player like Jeremy who I’ve grown close with on and off the football field over the years. I have a lot of respect for the way he goes about his business and how he handles himself as a professional. I wish him the best of luck moving forward.”
The Chiefs will save $10 million off of the cap by cutting Jeremy Maclin. Naturally, this move opens up potential for other receivers including, Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley, and rookie Jehu Chesson.
The Chiefs did bring in four other rookie receivers including Gehrig Dieter, Marcus Kemp, Alonzo Moore, and Tony Stevens.
Make sure to follow the Chiefs Last Word Pro Football Twitter account for more news as this off-season develops!
