Maclin: ‘Why Wouldn’t I Want To Be Here?’

In 2013, Jeremy Maclin sat on the sideline and watched as his teammates put up career numbers in Chip Kelly’s offense.

Nick Foles, DeSean Jackson, LeSean McCoy and Riley Cooper all blew up as the Eagles won the NFC East and advanced to the playoffs.

Maclin imagined how he might fit, and after the season, he decided to sign a one-year deal to remain with the Eagles. He gambled, and he won.

Maclin has 82 receptions for 1,269 yards and 10 touchdowns through 15 games. Despite the Eagles’ shoddy quarterback play, he’s shown the ability to make plays downfield and come up with clutch grabs near the sidelines. Maclin has been the Eagles’ most consistent offensive player in what has been an inconsistent season for the team overall.

Now he’s getting ready to once again be a free agent, but Maclin sounds like he fully expects to remain in Philadelphia next season and beyond.

“Yeah, this is a great place to be,” he said. “I’ve always spoken the best about this organization. Everything [Jeffrey] Lurie or Howie [Roseman] or Chip has told me has always been true. So why wouldn’t I want to be here? This is the place that drafted me, and I want to end my career here. If we can get something worked out when the time is right, then that’s what’ll happen.”

There will be plenty of wide receiver-needy teams this offseason (that familiar face in Kansas City comes to mind). And Maclin will be just 27 when next season starts. In other words, re-signing him won’t come cheap.

Asked if he wants to at least test the market, Maclin said: “This is a place I want to be. As long as we can agree to something, then this is where I want to be. If something else happens, then that’s what happens. But I try not to get caught up in that.”

Maclin switched agents this season. Getting an extension done during the season seemed to be his preference, but he explained why that didn’t take place.

“I’m not disappointed,” he said. “That’s just how the process works sometimes. I changed agents. Obviously when you do that, it kind of almost resets you a little bit. But when the time’s right, it’ll get done. I know both sides have made it clear that we both want to be here. They want me here. I want to be here. So if everything works out, we’ll get something done.”