Eagles WR Jeremy Maclin A Candidate To Receive The Franchise Tag?

Impending free agent Jeremy Maclin was asked about his contract situation and how he sees things playing out with the Eagles in the coming months.

Maclin did say that he wants to be back with the Eagles for the 2015 season, but he’s aware of how this process works.

“Yeah, I’ve always said that, but at the same time, man, you got to understand what’s going on,” Maclin said Friday, via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I’m excited about what the future holds,” Maclin said. “Once again, both sides have made it known what we want to do. I think it will take care of itself.”

There is a chance that the Eagles could opt to use their franchise tag on him to prevent him from fielding offers from prospective teams.

McLane believes Maclin is likely looking for a five-year deal in the neighborhood of $50 million, and includes close to $20 million guaranteed.

If the Eagles were to use their franchise tag on Maclin, they’re looking at a one-year salary of close to $12 million.

Earlier in the day, ESPN’s Field Yates included Maclin in his top-five candidates to receive the franchise tag this offseason.

Last we heard regarding negotiations between the two parties, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com reported that the Eagles and Maclin had “hit a bit of a wall in their contract negotiations.”

ESPN’s Adam Caplan previously suggested that Maclin switching agents has created a bit of uncertainty that a deal will get done.

“I’m not nearly as optimistic as I was before,” Caplan said during an interview with 97.5 the Fanatic. “It’s going to take way more work than I anticipated.”

For what it’s worth, Shorr-Parks still expects the two sides to ultimately reach an agreement on a long-term contract given that there is still plenty of time to work on a new contract.

Maclin, 26, missed the entire 2013 season after he suffered a torn ACL. The Eagles later signed him to a one-year contract worth $5.5 million, even though they were reportedly interested in giving him a multi-year agreement.

In 2014, he caught 85 passes for 1,318 yards receiving and 10 touchdowns over the course of 16 games. Pro Football Focus has him rated as the No. 14 receiver out of 110 qualifying players.

We have Maclin currently listed as the No. 13 player in our Top 50 Free Agents list.