By Ben Sullivan
The Eagles’ negotiations with elite wide receiver Jeremy Maclin are stalled, and it has nothing to do with the fact that there is no general manager to do the team’s bidding.
Speaking on 97.5 the Fanatic, ESPN insider Adam Caplan 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. “It’s going to take way more work than I anticipated.”
According to a person familiar with the situation, who requested anonymity, Caplan is right — the Eagles and Maclin have hit a bit of a wall in their contract negotiations after nearly having a deal completed towards the end of last season.
The holdup, as is the case with plenty of negotiations, is believed to be around money, with Maclin’s camp wanting to make sure he capitalizes on what will be the first big-money contract of his career.
After finishing last season with 85 catches for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns, Maclin is easily the most important receiver the Eagles have on their roster. Losing Maclin would be a major blow to the Eagles’ offense and catapult the wide receiver position to the top of the team’s needs this offseason.
Maclin made it very clear last month that if it were up to him, he would be back with the Eagles.
“This is a great place to be,” Maclin said. “I’ve always spoken well about the organization. (Jeffrey) Lurie, Howie (Roseman), Chip (Kelly), everything they’ve ever told me has been true. This is the place that drafted me. I want to end my career here.”
Maclin hasn’t spoken since, but did fire off this tweet:
Not cutting my hair until I sign a new contract….the struggle lmao
— Jeremy Maclin (@jmac_18) January 22, 2015
