Soon-to-be former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin went and had himself a career-year last season after betting on himself and signing a one-year deal with the Eagles.
Maclin, expected to be a prized commodity in NFL free agency, has reportedly parlayed that career-year into an incredibly lucrative contract with the Kansas City Chiefs and his former Eagles head coach, Andy Reid.
According to a report from Adam Schefter of ESPN, Maclin's deal will be worth $11 million per season.
This figure is eye-opening for several reasons.
First, Maclin was widely viewed as the second-best pass-catcher on the receiver market behind Randall Cobb of the Green Bay Packers.
Cobb wound up returning to the Packers on a deal worth a reported $40 million over four years for a yearly value of $10 million - $1 million less than what the Chiefs and Reid just handed to Maclin.
Cobb is two years younger than Maclin and had six more receptions and two more touchdowns last year. Cobb is also much more versatile as he offers impact on special teams and often lined up in the backfield for the Pack.
Maclin entered the NFL free agency period with tons of leverage on the Eagles - he was far and away the best receiver on the team last season, hauling in 85 receptions for 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns - and Chip Kelly doesn't seem to have anything close to a ready replacement on the roster already.
He's got an injury history, though - albeit not an extensive one beyond the ACL tear - and hadn't managed to reach the 1,000-yard plateau until this year.
Add in the immediate impact that rookie receivers made last year and it's clear why the Eagles would simply allow him to walk at that value and to see the Chiefs probably overpaid.
Still, for a Kansas City team that didn't see a single one of their wide receivers catch a touchdown pass last season, overpaying for a player of Maclin's talents and professionalism is probably entirely worth it.
