Jeremy Maclin became a free agent Friday when the Kansas City Chiefs surprisingly cut him just two years into a six-year, $55 million contract.
LeSean McCoy is hoping the newly jobless wide receiver lands in Buffalo.
McCoy, who played with Maclin in Philadelphia from 2009 to 2014, told reporters Sunday he’s trying to convince his former teammate to sign with the Bills.
“I’m recruiting him,” McCoy said, via the Bills’ official website. “I’m going with a pitch, ‘Maclin for Buffalo, Buffalo for Maclin, Maclin for Buffalo.’ We’ll see what happens.”
Buffalo had one of the worst air attacks in the NFL last season, ranking 30th in passing yards and 27th in passing touchdowns. It didn’t help that injuries limited the Bills’ best receiver, Sammy Watkins, to just eight games, forcing them to rely on the likes of Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin for much of the year.
Woods and Goodwin both signed elsewhere in free agency, and though Buffalo drafted its potential wideout of the future in Zay Jones (second round, 37th overall), it still lacks depth at the position. Adding a player like Maclin to the mix certainly couldn’t hurt.
The 29-year-old is coming off the worst season of his career (44 catches, 536 yards, two touchdowns), but he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each of the previous two campaigns and totaled 18 touchdowns between 2014 and 2015.
McCoy said he was the first person Maclin reached out to after he learned of his release.
“We talked about it. He would love to come,” the running back told reporters. “He likes (Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor) and the offense. He knows what type of player I am and I know what type of player he is. He could really help us out. I think him and Sammy on the outside would be a nightmare. Then you put in (tight end) Charles Clay … we’ll see.”
The Bills are seeking their first playoff appearance since 1999, the longest such drought in American professional sports.
Thumbnail photo via Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports Images
