Why Tagging Jeremy Maclin Is Best Move for Eagles in 2015 and Beyond

The Philadelphia Eagles have 10 players scheduled to hit free agency, but only two make reasonable sense for the team’s franchise tag designation: wide receiver Jeremy Maclin and outside linebacker Brandon Graham.

Considering Graham was just a backup in 2014—a very effective one who could likely thrive in a starting role, but still just a situational pass-rusher on this current Philadelphia team—if anyone is going to get the franchise tag, it’s going to be Maclin.

And it’s starting to make sense for the Eagles to tag Maclin.

It’s not the ideal long-term scenario; the ideal long-term scenario would be working out a team-friendly deal that keeps Maclin in Philadelphia for another five years. But that doesn’t seem to be happening, and the Eagles absolutely cannot allow Maclin to hit the free-agent market where they risk losing their best receiver.

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“If this team wants to win, they need this guy back” - @36westbrook on #Eagles re-signing Jeremy Maclin

— PFTonNBCSN (@PFTonNBCSN) February 5, 2015"

Maclin had by far his finest year as a pro in ’14, setting career highs in receptions (85), yards (1,318) and touchdowns (10), essentially duplicating the numbers DeSean Jackson had in 2013, also under Chip Kelly’s offense. Jackson was famously released last offseason, and the Eagles can’t possibly afford to lose Maclin just a year after jettisoning Jackson.

Per ESPN.com’s Phil Sheridan, the franchise tag for wide receivers this year will be $12.8 million. That’s a lot to pay for Maclin, and significantly more than the $5.4 million he made on a one-year, prove-it deal from the Eagles for the 2014 campaign.

Matt Rourke/Associated Press

An argument could be made that Kelly’s offense gets the most out of every receiver and that $12.8 million is way too much to pay for Maclin, who did put up his numbers in a contract year. But Maclin also did this with instability at the quarterback position, an oft-injured offensive line that led to inconsistency in the running game and no help opposite him from Riley Cooper.

If the Eagles can’t work out a deal with Maclin, they’re in big trouble in regards to the 2015 receiving corps. Jordan Matthews will need to take on a starting role—and be the go-to guy, because nothing from last year suggests it can be Cooper. That means Josh Huff will likely play the slot, and there’s a good chance Philadelphia will have to invest in a receiver with a high draft pick, anyway.

And don’t forget tagging Maclin doesn’t mean the team is committed to paying him that $12.8 million for 2015. They could still always work out a long-term deal; in fact, that happens fairly often. What the franchise tag will do is essentially buy the Eagles some time to work out a deal with their star receiver.

In 2012, the Eagles franchise-tagged Jackson, then signed him shortly thereafter to a five-year, $51 million deal. The previous year, the organization signed Michael Vick to a six-year, $100 million contract after placing the franchise tag on him.

Paying Maclin $12.8 million in 2015 isn’t ideal, although the Eagles are thrifty enough with their cap space that they can afford it, especially with expected releases/restructures to Trent Cole and Cary Williams coming up. But it’s imperative that Philadelphia acts on Maclin quickly before he is free to test out the free-agent market and subsequently signs elsewhere.