7. Chiefs’ move to cut Jeremy Maclin makes little sense
Kansas City shocked everyone — Alex Smith and Jeremy Maclin himself — when it released the veteran receiver. This is the only receiver who has ever caught 1,000 yards worth of passes from Smith in a single season. Suddenly he’s not with the club, and quite honestly the Chiefs don’t have his replacement on the roster.
Now, the Chiefs were a bit cap strapped heading into the offseason and were sitting around $3.5 million under the cap before releasing Maclin. They are saving $10 million total with the move (split up into two seasons), and they still need to sign some of their draft picks.
Still, there are other ways to cut cap space than dropping the hammer on a 29-year-old receiver still in his prime. Last year was a poor season for Maclin, who got hurt and ended up catching just 44 passes for 536 yards and two touchdowns. However, the year prior he caught 87 balls for 1,088 yards and eight touchdowns, becoming the first receiver in years to make that type of impact for Kansas City.
Now the Chiefs head into the season with Albert Wilson, Tyreek Hill, Chris Conley, De’Anthony Thomas, Demarcus Robinson and rookie Jehu Chesson. Aside from Hill, there isn’t a lot to be optimistic about if you’re a Chiefs fan.
On the flip side, Kansas City’s loss could be Buffalo’s gain. The Bills are reportedly in preliminary talks with Maclin, who’s being recruited by both Tyrod Taylor and LeSean McCoy.