Arguably, the biggest news in the NFL last week was the release of Jeremy Maclin by the Kansas City Chiefs. The news was so shocking that even Alex Smith, the starting QB of the franchise, admitted his surprise by it.
Despite signing a five-year deal just two seasons ago, Kansas City still decided to release the veteran wideout. And all signs indicate this was merely a salary dump. That context makes everything even harder to understand, Contending teams do not commit these mistakes, but the Chiefs did it. And it might come back to haunt them as soon as next season. They went from having a talented receiver to full their WR corps with question marks.
Look, Maclin is not a star receiver by any means, and he’s better suited to play as a second-receiver on a contending team. However, he has several years of experience under his belt, and at the very least he can be a competent receiver. But he was the best option in a Chiefs roster that doesn’t have a reliable backup. Sure, they have Tyreek Hill as a big weapon – but is he ready to become the team’s top option in the passing game?
The answer is no. Most of Hill’s yardage last season came due to his speed on the open field. But how will he respond to tighter coverages? I mean, players like Josh Norman or Richard Sherman would eat Hill alive with relative ease. Hill has a lot of potential, but he’s not ready to make the leap yet.
Coming back to Maclin, he had an impressive first season with KC in 2015. But injuries slowed him down last year, and only finished with 44 receptions, 536 yardas and two touchdowns. That’s not the production you want from your star receiver. However, he has a track record that should’ve at least give him another chance. Instead, he’s on the open market and instantly became the best player available.
Oh, and he’s only 29 years old. Which means he has at least two or three more seasons in his prime, and around four to five where he can still be extremely productive.
It’s understandable that the Chiefs wanted to recover some cap space. But they should’ve looked for other players to release. They suddenly became far less competitive in a year where they’ll battle the Raiders and the Broncos for a playoff berth in the AFC. And releasing your best player is not the way to send a proper message to both the fans and the rest of the league.