Chiefs rumors: Buffalo Bills considered frontrunners for Jeremy Maclin

The Buffalo Bills have emerged as the frontrunners for signing wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who was cut by the Chiefs last week.

The Kansas City Chiefs decided the cost was simply too much. At well over $12 million, the Chiefs released wide receiver Jeremy Maclin late on Friday to the shock of many around the NFL as a contending team waved goodbye to their most reliable wideout, a big ticket free agent they’d signed just two years prior to a five-year, $55 million deal. Now the Buffalo Bills are hoping they can find a cost that works for them as they put on a full-court press to sign the now-free agent.

Maclin would certainly add plenty to a Bills’ receiving corps that could use some veteran upgrading. Sammy Watkins is on the fast track out of Buffalo if health problems persist, as he’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after this season after the team declined to pick up his fifth year option. (Of course, the Bills certainly could tag Watkins and keep him with the team.)  The Bills also added small-school prospect Zay Jones in the 2017 NFL Draft’s second round, but Jones is now week to week with a knee injury, believed to be a sprain, and will be on a slower than expected learning curve given that he can’t put in the reps as a rookie.

Bringing Maclin in would not only lessen the loss of one of those first two due to further injury but would give Tyrod Taylor a reliable veteran target in the passing game. Maclin runs near-perfect routes and has been a leader in the locker room and a coach on the field for the Kansas City Chiefs. He’s also capable of stretching the field much more than what he was able to show given the conservative Chiefs offense.

Others options like Andre Holmes, Rod Streater, Corey Brown and more are also on the roster, so the Bills’ cupboard isn’t bare at all. However, Maclin would be an immediate upgrade and a trio of Maclin, Watkins and Jones would instantly be one of the AFC’s better receiving corps.