The Kansas City Chiefs announced Friday that they’ve released veteran WR Jeremy Maclin.
“I’d like to thank Jeremy for his effort and dedication the past two seasons,” Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey said. “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 his career.”
“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,” said Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid. “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.”
This is a stunning move from the Chiefs, as Maclin is one of their best offensive weapons. Although, his 2016 season didn’t live up his contract.
According to Mike Garafolo, did speak to a few teams about a potential trade for Maclin, but they never approached him about taking a pay cut before releasing him on Friday.
Maclin, 29, is a former first-round pick of the Eagles back in 2009. He spent five years with the Eagles before signing a five-year, $55 million contract that included $22.5 million guaranteed with the Chiefs in 2015.
Maclin was set to make a base salary of $9.75 million for the 2017 season.
According to OverTheCap.com, releasing Maclin will free up $10 million of available cap space while creating $2.4 million in dead money.
In 2016, Maclin appeared in 12 games and caught 44 passes for 536 yards receiving and two touchdowns. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 78 receiver out of 115 qualifying players.
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