Posted: Tuesday, July 28, 2009, 11:20 AM | 31 comments |
 

Maclin still missing
options
 

Another morning workout has been completed without rookie wide receiver Jeremy Maclin taking part today.

Jim Steiner, the St. Louis-based agent who represents Maclin, said Monday night that he felt "some progress" had been made in his talks with Eagles consultant Andrew Brandt, but a team source painted a different picture earlier this morning.

"I guess if you go from ridiculous to slightly less ridicculous you can call that real progress," the source said.

Maclin, who is expected to see significant playing time this season, is the Eagles' only unsigned player. The rookies have two more scheduled workouts -- one this afternoon and another tomorrow morning -- before the remaining veterans report to camp tomorrow afternoon.

As of this morning only four of the 32 first-round picks had signed and none of them were wide receivers. The Eagles, however, were one of only nine teams overall and one of two in the NFC that have already started practices.

Eagles coach Andy Reid said there was "no progress" on the talks with Maclin and reiterated how important he thinks it is for the rookie to report to camp.

Guard Stacy Andrews practiced again this morning, but Reid said he was still unsure if the Eagles' first free-agent signing of the offseason would be ready for Friday's first full contact session at Lehigh. Andrews is returning after undergoing surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament in January.

"We will see," Reid said. "We're going to take it real easy on him and stay in communication with him. I'm not going to force anything. If he doesn't feel like he's comfortable being in a team activity at that time, then we won't do that. We'll just gradually bring him along. As long as the swelling stays out of it, then you have to trust  the player to tell you the truth and he's in a good place with that right now."

 

 
Posted by Bob Brookover @ 11:20 AM  Permalink | 31 comments
31
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:14 PM, 07/28/2009
    I thought there wasn't much leeway given the rookie poll and the fact that all the other rookies have signed?
    — libertyof76
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:25 PM, 07/28/2009
    i hardly blame maclin, but the agent representing him. there is no excuse why he isn't signed before camp. so what if no other wr is not signed yet from this past year's 1st round draft. be a team player and be at camp with or without a contract!
    — PhilliGuy
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:41 PM, 07/28/2009
    I believe participating in team activities without a contract is a violation of the CBA--so the NFLPA wouldn't allow it.
    — reils
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 12:46 PM, 07/28/2009
    What I want to know is why this consultant Andrew Brandt is working on this and why was he hiking in the mountains late last week instead of getting Maclin's deal done so the young man was in camp on time.
    — Reizorc
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:11 PM, 07/28/2009
    If you people read the article then you understand only four 1st round rookies have signed so far. That being the top 3 picks and someone else. Maclin and his agent are keeping low until either the Eagles decide to pay him what he wants or until the market for rookie wide receivers is set. I wouldn't expect him to sign until Heyward-Bay or Crabtree gets a deal. They went before him in the draft and he will know where he stands at that point in terms of $$$. Unless the Eagles make a an offer he can't refuse. Which we all know aint gonna happen.
    — Atlas
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:16 PM, 07/28/2009
    Liberty - practically none of the 1st rounders have signed. Maclin's agent is holding him back from signing because he wants to see what the guys near him get paid and try to get just a little more. That way he can sell that to future prospects. But given the pay scale you mentioned, the difference will not be that much to what he would get if he signed immediately. The big difference is the dwindling chance of him getting sigificant playing time this year as the holdout continues.
    — danF
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:17 PM, 07/28/2009
    How hard is it to sign the 19th pick? This really doesn't make much sense.
    — jbruder02
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:18 PM, 07/28/2009
    How hard is it to sign the 19th pick? This really doesn't make much sense.
    — jbruder02
  • Comment removed.
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:21 PM, 07/28/2009
    I had thought the same thing libertyof76 but I heard, maybe it was SalPal, explain that there is beyond the pool (which does limit base compensation) actually a fair amount of room for teams to give performance bonuses too. ANd players want the "falling off the log" bonus and team wants real performance for the money. Apparently can be real money. Maybe thats an issue. I hope its not that Banner doesnt want to spend the whole pool...
    — DoctorW
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:21 PM, 07/28/2009
    wow, holding out and he hasn't even proven anything yet....
    — misch32
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:30 PM, 07/28/2009
    This is 100% Maclin's issue. He's the agent's boss in the contract negotiations. Past history tells us what? We're not working in a vacuum here. The Eagles have a long history of making fair offers and getting draft picks in on time. When the Eagles' representative characterizes the agent's position as ridiculous, there is a major issue brewing. Another idiot agent wasting time and costing his client long term money to make a name for himself. This is all about the agent. Mcalin needs to wake up and instruct his agent to make a deal. The agent works for Maclin.
    — MikeP
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:36 PM, 07/28/2009
    There has to be a problem coming from the agent on this one. I'm not an Eagles fan so I'm not sure about their history when it comes to signing draft picks, but usually it's not very hard to sign the 19th pick. The problem usually comes in the top 10. 19th pick usually gets a 10 or 12% bump in salary that the 19th pick from last year got.
    — jbruder02
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 1:40 PM, 07/28/2009
    You can look at the 19th pick in 2008, or the 3rd WR signed last year for some guidance as to what Maclin will get, but this deal is not likely to get done until other 2009 1st-rounders near pick 19 get signed. So far, only two rookies picked above Maclin have signed, both QBs: http://backseatfan.com/index.php/2009/05/2009-nfl-draft-rookie-signing-status/
    — M-star


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