The Philadelphia Eagles are on the verge of losing another huge offensive playmaker for them in Jeremy Maclin. The San Francisco 49ers would love for the talented wide receiver to become available.
Right now, Maclin and the Eagles are in negotiations, trying to beat the deadline and hopefully not see him hitting free agency. One of the reasons for the trade that sent LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills among other players released was not just turning this team into a more Chip Kelly one, but also open up a lot of cap space.
Right now, Maclin is asking for about $8 million a season based on how well he did in his comeback year, catching 85 passes for 1318 yards and 10 touchdowns, despite missing the entire 2013 season for a torn knee ligament. Considering the problems the Eagles had at quarterback: Nick Foles playing badly, then getting injured and having Mark Sanchez fill in, Maclin’s numbers seem even more impressive all of a sudden.
The 49ers’ problem at the moment is not having a whole lot of cap space at their disposal but we’re probably going to see quite a few contracts getting reworked or maybe even someone released. It’s clear they need help at wide receiver badly, and things didn’t improve after they released Steve Johnson which helps them open up some cap space for Maclin or another target.
The 49ers were 28th last season in passing yards and Colin Kaepernik, if the goal is to turn him into a pocket passer and not make the most of his running ability, needs a lot more help in the wide receiver department. Maclin’s style makes for a very good fit, but the money might be a problem, not to mention that we know very little of how drastically (or not) things will change now that Jim Harbaugh is gone.