Early this offseason, there was some chatter that the Eagles were considering a trade involving wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.
That talk was quickly refuted, leaving Maclin to start the final year of his rookie deal with the same team that originally drafted him. Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that there have been preliminary talks between the receiver and the club, although Maclin said that he’s not sweating things on the contract front at this point.
“I think I can only get better,” Maclin said. “I think it will be good for me to go out there and just play ball and let everything else take care of itself.”
If Maclin does get better, he’ll be proven correct about it being a good development for him to get out there and play ball. Signing a contract now would lock him in at a price commensurate with what he’s achieved during his first four years, which have been good but nothing that would command top dollar. Whatever injury risk there is for Maclin is negated by the potential rewards that would come with a big season in Chip Kelly’s offense.
In other words, Maclin’s not likely to cost himself much, if any, money should 2013 bring more of the same. The knowledge that better play will bring better pay should mean there’s no shortage of motivation for Maclin to turn his thoughts of getting better into reality.