Jeremy Maclin Tears ACL, but the Real News Comes Next Year

Jeremy Maclin was a made man. He was set to cash in at the end of this season. I knew it. He knew it. The Eagles knew it.

Now? Well…what he said (NSFW).

This screws up everything for Maclin, who has a torn ACL, reports USA Today. The 25-year-old now has a horribly uncertain future after being guaranteed somewhere around four or five years at $10 million a year, whether in Philly or elsewhere. Now he’ll likely rehab this year, sign a one-year “prove it” deal and hope for the best.

What makes all of this interesting is, will the Eagles offer Maclin a deal to come back, even at the reasonable price tag he’ll cost?

The gentlemanly elephant in the room is that the Eagles won’t sign the former Missouri receiver unless they have interest in signing him long-term at the market value two years from now, which will probably be more costly. Take a look at some of the recent contracts from young receivers around the NFL:

Mike Williams TB: Four years, $40 million
Victor Cruz NYG: Six years, $46 million
DeSean Jackson: Five year, $47 million
Percy Harvin: Six years, $67 million
Mike Wallace: Five years, $60 million

Now having Maclin return for a year while he rehabs from a torn ACL only to leave after the season is pointless when you’re a team that’s looking to grow around a younger core of players. So if he comes back to the Eagles next year assume that he’s considered a part of Kelly’s vision—which begs the question in the poll... 

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