Jeremy Maclin Released by Kansas City Chiefs After 2 Seasons with Team

The Kansas City Chiefs released wide receiver Jeremy Maclin on Friday, the team announced in a statement. 

"I’d like to thank Jeremy for his effort and dedication the past two seasons," Chiefs General Manager John Dorsey said. "I have great respect for all players, which makes decisions like these very difficult, but we felt it was in the best interest of our club moving forward to part ways at this time. We wish Jeremy the best as he continues his career." 

The veteran wideout reacted to the news shortly after it was made official: 

Maclin signed with the Chiefs as a free agent in March 2015 following five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, and he thrived throughout his first year upon reuniting with head coach Andy Reid. 

Over the course of 15 games during the 2015 season, Maclin piled up a career-high 87 catches for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns. However, his numbers dipped quite a bit last year. 

Limited to 12 games a season ago, Maclin mustered 44 receptions for a career-low 536 yards and two scores. He was also plagued by a case of shaky hands, as Pro Football Focus' Nathan Jahnke noted: 

Financially speaking, cutting Maclin now made the most sense for the Chiefs. 

The 29-year-old had a $12.4 million cap hit with $7 million in dead money for the 2017 season, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. ESPN's Adam Schefter reported the team will save $10 million against the cap by cutting Maclin after June 1. 

As far as the state of the Chiefs' receiving corps is concerned, Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley and Albert Wilson figure to operate as Alex Smith's top pass-catchers alongside tight end Travis Kelce.