Chiefs release Maclin, but road home to Eagles might be bumpy

In a textbook Friday evening news dump, the Kansas City Chiefs released wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, saving $7.6 million in 2017 salary cap charges, according to Overthecap.com. Cutting Maclin after June 1 boosted the savings by $2.6 million over what they would have been previously.

This was a shocking move in that Maclin's signing, for five years and $55 million, $22.5 million guaranteed, was a major coup for the Chiefs in the offseason two years ago. Maclin changed the face of a wide receiving corps that might have been even less well-regarded than what the Eagles fielded last season. Maclin's 87 catches for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns in 2015 gave Andy Reid's offense a new dimension.

Reid was the Eagles' coach when the team drafted Maclin in the first round, 19^th overall, in 2009. Maclin made the Pro Bowl after the 2014 season, but when he became a free agent, Kansas City offered more than Reid's successor, Chip Kelly, thought Maclin was worth.

Friday's unexpected release of a starting-quality wideout who just turned 29 last month immediately raised speculation about whether he might return to the Eagles, and the city he said he never really wanted to leave. Eagles coach Doug Pederson was Kansas City's offensive coordinator in 2015. Eagles de facto general manager Howie Roseman goes out of his way to retain productive draftees, and probably would have handled the Maclin free-agency differently.

But the Eagles executed an offseason plan to improve their wideout corps that didn't include a high-salaried vet coming available in June. They signed both Alshon Jeffery and Torrey Smith to one-year deals. Then they drafted Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson. They retain Jordan Matthews, and releasing disappointing 2015 first-round pick Nelson Agholor, who was supposed to replace Maclin, would incur  more than $1.1 million in cap charges, beyond what the team would save on his salary.

Also, there is the matter of whether 2017 Maclin is worth anywhere near what 2015 Maclin was worth. Slowed by a groin injury last season, Maclin caught just 44 passes for 536 yards and two touchdowns in 12 games.

Reid and quite a few Chiefs attended Maclin's wedding in St. Louis on May 20.

"These decisions are never easy, especially with a player like Jeremy who I've grown close with on and off the football field over the years," Reid said in a statement released by the team. "I have a lot of respect for the way he goes about his business and how he handles himself as a professional. I wish him the best of luck moving forward."