John Dorsey informed Jeremy Maclin of release through voicemail

Jeremy Maclin says he found out he was released by the Kansas City Chiefs through a voicemail message from general manager John Dorsey.

Kansas City Chiefs general manager John Dorsey had an interesting way of letting his star wide receiver Jeremy Maclin know he was no longer on the team. He left him a voicemail. Maclin said he checked his messages and found out he was released by the same team that had signed him to a big-money contract in free agency just two years prior.

Maclin agreed to an interview with Pro Football Talk and went on record for a bit about his release from the Chiefs, saying the voicemail message was directly from Dorsey.

"“I was upset, I was shocked. Apparently, they had been trying to trade me for two or three months. Which who knows if that’s true or not? I would just think that . . . a guy who is going into his ninth year would know if he’s being shopped or not. It is what it is. I still have respect for Big Red, still have respect for the organization. I’m not going to bad mouth anybody or talk any dirt on anybody. It was an unfortunate situation. They felt like they didn’t want me as a player anymore, so it is what it is.”"

The Chiefs cleared over $10 million in salary cap space by releasing Maclin, although it was still a big surprise for everyone given that Maclin was recently given a 5-year, $55 million deal in 2015. He was the leader among wideouts on a team with largely unproven roster below him on the depth chart. It will be interesting to see if Dorsey or Reid respond to reporter questions on the matter.

Maclin is now a member of the Baltimore Ravens, selecting them after also considering a return to the Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills.