Jeremy Maclin thanks Chiefs players and fans in retirement address

Jeremy Maclin sent out a retirement address on Twitter to signal his exit from the NFL, and he thanked Chiefs Kingdom and players in the process.

Former NFL wide receiver Jeremy Maclin let it be known a few days ago that he was going to retire from the league but that a bigger show of it would be made at a later date. On Thursday, Maclin unveiled a longer message that gave perspective to his retirement and thanked a number of people and fan bases around the NFL.

Maclin took to Twitter to say his official goodbyes from the NFL. In his message he also explained why he left when he did and when he knew his career was taking a turn for the worse—right after his first season in Kansas City.

You can read the whole message here:

Specifically Maclin thanks the Chiefs and fans during the message’s second half.

"“To the Kansas City organization and #ChiefsKingdom, I want to say thank you! It was a dream of mine to play back in my home state of Missouri. I called it my ride down I-70! I’ll never forget the Justin Houston and EB ore-game speeches that got us going. I won’t forget walking out of the tunnel as a captain for our playoff game in Houston and New England. I won’t forget sharing extra workouts with Chris [Conley], Al [Wilson] and Reek [Hill] and their hunger to be great. I won’t forget sharing the field with the best and swaggiest TE in the game who demanded greatness from everyone, Travis Kelce. I can keep going on and on. #ChiefsKingdom I love you and I appreciate each and every last one of you!”"

Maclin was a star receiver at the University of Missouri when he was selected in the first round overall by the Philadelphia Eagles back in the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent six seasons in Philly and put up solid numbers during his time there, a stint which crescendoed with a stellar contract year in which he put up 1,318 yards and 10 touchdowns.

During that following offseason, Maclin would end up signing a five-year mega-deal in free agency with the Kansas City Chiefs. He would join Andy Reid as head coach once again, but unfortunately the Chiefs were punished for reportedly tampering in advance of free agency’s allowed windows and the team was docked a future third round pick.

Unfortunately for Maclin, he would last only two years in Kansas City. The first season was everything the Chiefs could have wanted with 87 catches for 1,088 yards and 8 touchdowns. Maclin was also a solid leader on the field and seemed to fit right into the team’s winning culture. From there, however, Maclin dealt with a groin injury and he would only play in 12 games the following season. In 2016, his final year with the Chiefs, he had only 44 catches for 536 yards and 2 touchdowns.

During the offseason, John Dorsey shocked the NFL by not only cutting Maclin in a surprise move several weeks after the draft, but he did so by leaving the wideout a voice mail. The move drew plenty of criticism for its style and substance, but Dorsey was likely right in his actual talent evaluation. Maclin would never be a top-tier wide receiver ever again in the NFL.

Maclin would go on to sign with the Baltimore Ravens and play one more year in the league, putting up a scant 440 yards in the process.

Maclin retired with solid career numbers at the highest level of professional football. He had 514 career receptions for 6,835 yards and 49 touchdowns. His fellow players voted him into the NFL’s Top 100 in both 2015 and 2016, and he retires as the Eagles 10th leading receiver of all time. He also has the third highest single-season total for receiving yards in Eagles history.