The Philadelphia Eagles hope to keep Jeremy Maclin in 2015, but the free agent should have some suitors on the market and teams like the Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks could be interested in signing the wide receiver after having a career year in 2014 under Chip Kelly.
Maclin returned to the Eagles after missing all of 2013 with a knee injury and he was healthy all year, playing in all 16 games on the schedule. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, Maclin is expecting to stay with the Eagles next season, but so far the two sides have not come close on a long term deal and it comes weeks after they "hit a snag" in contract negotiations. The report also says that the team could consider using the franchise tag on Maclin if a deal is not worked out.
The franchise tag for wide receivers would be about $12 million for one season and that is quite a bit even for a player like Maclin. The Eagles are hoping to work out a deal with Maclin, as he emerged as a strong number one option with DeSean Jackson gone. According to Adam Schefter at ESPN.com, the Oakland Raiders, New York Jets, Minnesota Vikings, Cleveland Browns and Jacksonville Jaguars could be some of the teams that target Maclin.
According to Philly Mag: Birds 24/7, Maclin could be in line to sign a deal like Dwayne Bowe did with the Chiefs for five years and over $55 million. Greg Jennings also signed a similar deal for about $10 million less and that is the range that Maclin could be in. The Eagles don't want to kill the cap, but they have to sign back Maclin or that would be losing their leading receiver two years in a row.
Maclin is coming back after putting up career highs of 85 catches for 1318 yards and 10 touchdowns, which tied his total scores from 2010. Maclin did this after missing all of 2013 with a knee issue and now he has the chance to cash in. Randall Cobb is going to be the other main target on the market, as Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant are expected to stay with their teams. Maclin and Cobb could be the players to move and a team like the Raiders or Browns could be an option, as they need playmakers and have the money to spend.
The Browns could be an option after losing Josh Gordon for a year to a suspension, as they now are down yet another playmaker. Maclin could take over that role for Gordon, while the Raiders may try and woo him or Cobb to sign for Derek Carr. The Eagles have Riley Cooper and Josh Huff, but Cooper showed this year that he is not a number one receiver and losing Maclin would put some major pressure on Kelly. The Eagles have considered trading Nick Foles this offseason in the hopes of getting Marcus Mariota, who Kelly coached at Oregon. The Eagles won 10 games for the second straight season, but missed the playoffs.
