Jeremy Maclin released by the Kansas City Chiefs

On a late Friday surprise, the Kansas City Chiefs have released veteran wide receiver Jeremy Maclin from the roster.

The Kansas City Chiefs threw a curveball on Friday with the announcement that veteran wide receiver Jeremy Maclin has been released from the team.

Maclin’s release comes as a big surprise to most considering that he was the team’s No. 1 wide receiver ever since he arrived in Kansas City just two seasons ago. He was the big-ticket free agent, coming over from the Philadelphia Eagles, signing a five-year, $55 million deal in the process.

It remains to be seen whether there’s some further reason for the release beyond the financial space the Chiefs will enjoy by designating him a June 1 cut. The Chiefs will save a reported $10 million, per Terez Paylor (see above), but do the Chiefs need that space? Clearly there’s a need but it’s interesting they decided against creating that space elsewhere, such as kicker, punter or other veterans who could have been deemed more expendable than the team’s top wide receiver.

Last season was definitely a down year for Maclin, who caught only 44 passes for 536 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns in 2016. He missed four games and dealt with an ongoing injury as well as some personal issues. However, he was still the Chiefs most reliable receiver, knew the entire playbook and route tree, and the Chiefs had serious investment in him, even having given up a couple draft picks for tampering, per the NFL’s punishment.