Jeremy Maclin Reportedly Released by Ravens, Will Enter Free Agency

Featured ColumnistMarch 14, 2018

FILE - In this Oct. 26, 2017, file photo, Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Jeremy Maclin gestures after scoring a touchdown in the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, in Baltimore. Maclin's first season in Baltimore has been a strange one. He's got only 19 catches and missed two games with a shoulder injury, yet leads all Ravens wide receivers in receptions and touchdowns. (AP Photo/Gail Burton, File)

Gail Burton/Associated Press

The Baltimore Ravens reportedly will release wide receiver Jeremy Maclin on Wednesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

Maclin appeared to respond to the news on Twitter:

Jeremy Maclin @jmac___19
🤷🏿‍♂️

Maclin, 29, spent just one year with the Baltimore Ravens, catching 40 passes for 440 yards and three touchdowns in 12 games. He earned a grade of 73.3 from Pro Football Focus, 53rd among NFL wideouts.

The wideout was a steady producer from 2010-15, accumulating at least 63 catches, 850 receiving yards and five touchdowns in those seasons. He was super for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2014, notching 1,318 receiving yards and 10 scores along with a Pro Bowl nod.

After a solid 2015 season with the Kansas City Chiefs, however, Maclin regressed. He's missed eight games over the past two seasons and totaled just five touchdowns. Once considered a field-stretching, big-play threat, he's averaged just 11.6 yards per catch over the past two years, nearly two yards below his career average (13.3) and well below his peak mark from 2014 (15.5).

His reduced production, combined with other moves by the Ravens, made his release an inevitability, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun noted:

Jeff Zrebiec @jeffzrebiecsun
Maclin's release will save Ravens $5 million of cap space. Was inevitable especially after Ravens reached agreement on framework of deals with John Brown and Ryan Grant yesterday. They're still expected to add another FA WR or at least target position in draft https://t.co/ULBlFcxdZl

✨ Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content

It's probably fair to question Baltimore's free-agent decisions, at least on offense, in the past two offseasons, however:

Jeff Zrebiec @jeffzrebiecsun
Ravens three biggest offseason additions on offense last year: RB Danny Woodhead, WR Jeremy Maclin, OT Austin Howard. All are gone a year later.

Mike Clay @MikeClayNFL
Ravens cut Jeremy Maclin and added John Brown and Ryan Grant to go with Chris Moore and Breshad Perriman....still easily one of the league's worst groups.

Maclin could be an interesting target for teams looking for a deep threat. His status as a potential top option has likely been revoked at this point, but in the right situation, he could be a solid veteran addition.