New Ravens receiver Jeremy Maclin joined PFT Live for a Skype interview on Thursday, immediately after the last offseason practice ended. And the discussion included some eye-opening details regarding the manner in which Maclin’s tenure with the Chiefs ended, 13 days ago.
If you were surprised to learn that Maclin had been cut, Maclin was, too. On a scale of one to 10, Maclin’s surprise factor was, he said, “Eleven.”
How did he find out?
“Through a voicemail,” Maclin said. “[From G.M.] John 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. I’m happy with where I am right now, and I think that might be the last time I talk about what I call my former life. So I don’t think I want to talk about that anymore.”
Maclin nevertheless addressed one final topic: Did they approach him about taking a pay cut?
“There was not a discussion with me or my team,” Maclin said. “I’ve heard a lot of rumors coming out of there. I’ve heard they thought I lost a step, my price tag was too high. Whatever the case may be, I’m ready to play some football. That flame that burns inside of a competitor, that thing got a lot brighter.”
So has he lost a step?
Maclin answered in a word: “Nope.”
Hopefully, you’ll say yes to hearing (and seeing) the full interview, which debuts on Friday’s PFT Live at some point between 7:00 a.m. and 9:00 a.m. ET.