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Maclin a Raven; Ingram is Rich

Maclin moves back to the east coast.

No one though former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jeremy Maclin would be unemployed for long. Tuesday the mystery of who would sign the former Pro Bowler was solved when the Baltimore Ravens put a two-year contract in front of him. Financial terms have not been disclosed.

Maclin found himself in an apparent bidding war since the Chiefs cut him last week, with the Ravens, the Buffalo Bills and his former team, the Philadelphia Eagles all stepping up to the plate with offers.

Maclin could end up part of an entirely new Ravens receiving corps. With the New York Jets set to cut wide receiver Eric Decker, they pulled back when the Ravens had interest in acquiring him for a trade. Now that Baltimore has signed Maclin, the Jets went ahead and released Decker officially.

So why wouldn’t the Ravens just sign them both? Before last season, Decker and Maclin both had no real health issues to speak of and the Raven, before today, had only two real NFL receivers on the roster in Mike Wallace and Breshaud Perriman. Adding Decker along with Maclin makes a lot of sense to me. Certainly an incentive-laden contract for Decker would do the trick.

“I want to thank Eric Decker for his contributions to the New York Jets over the past three seasons,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. “While with us, he was a competitive, productive, and dependable receiver who represented the team well both on and off the field. On behalf of the organization, I wish him the best as he continues his career.”

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Last year Maclin played in 12 games, caught 44 passes for 536 yards and two touchdowns. That was after back-to-back 1,000-plus yard seasons (along with 18 touchdowns from 2014-2015). Even without the addition of Decker, Maclin is a significant upgrade for quarterback Joe Flacco. But, listen to me Ravens, Decker was a Patriot killer in his days with Peyton Manning. You need that guy too.

Where else could Eric Decker land?

Looking at the NFL landscape, if I was a team with young receivers that could use a coach on the field, I’d be ringing Decker’s cell right now. Certainly Jared Goff of the Los Angeles Rams and his crew of young wideouts could benefit from Decker’s experience and expertise, especially since the guy spent years working with Peyton Manning in Denver.

The Indianapolis Colts, the Tennessee Titans, the Washington Redskins and the Chicago Bears would all make a lot of sense. It all depends on if Decker wants to toss in his lot with a team that is on the edge (or already out of) the 2017 playoff picture. Money does talk, but Decker, coming off an injury, can only demand so much.

Ingram and Chargers couple for the long term

Last night while we were all distract by hockey and boxing, the Los Angeles Chargers secured the services of one of their best players by signing a four-year, $66 million extension with linebacker Melvin Ingram. The contract comes with $42 million in guaranteed money.

Last year Ingram recorded 60 tackles, eight sacks, five forced fumbles and five passes defended.

In other Chargers-related news, their former starting tackle King Dunlap has decided to call it a career. Dunlap’s agents announced Monday night that he would retire after nine years in the NFL. Dunlap started 65 games for the Chargers.

Eddie Lacy continues cashing in on the scale

Another weight milestone, another fat check for Seattle Seahawks running back Eddie Lacy. After already pocketing a big payout for meeting a weight goal last month, Lacy had to hit the scales again Monday for another contract incentive. In weighing in under 250 pounds, Lacy hit it and will receive another cool $55,000.

Lacy has collected $110,000 over the last two months thanks to his discipline, hard work and weight loss. Apparently Lacy’s next goal is to be 245 pounds or less in August.

Taylor Decker will miss four-to-six months

The Detroit Lions got some bad news over the weekend concerning starting left tackle Taylor Decker. Decker’s surgery to repair a torn labrum will take four-to-six months of recovery time, meaning they could be without him for the entire 2017 season.

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According to the NFL Network, the Lions aren’t planning on losing Decker for the season, but the earliest he could probably see the field is sometime in October.

Cam Newton will not throw at minicamp

Cam Newton had offseason shoulder surgery of his own, and though his prognosis isn’t as disastrous as Decker’s, he will still be held from throwing at the Carolina Panthers’ upcoming manditory minicamp.

According to head coach Ron Rivera, there has been no setback in Newton’s recovery, but the coach “got ahead of himself” when talking about the possibility of his star quarterback tossing the ball around.

Are the Saints about to sign Ryan Nassib?

Get your Colin Kaepernick thought pieces ready again because it looks like he’s being passed over for a job again. This time it’s the New Orleans Saints who, according to the NFL Network, are targeting former New York Giants quarterback Ryan Nassib to back up Drew Brees.

But before you lose a finger on your keyboard, Nassib is being signed as a glorified camp arm who will likely not be on the team after the final preseason game. The Saints already have Chase Daniel as Brees’ primary back up as well as former third round pick Garrett Grayson. This was likely a dirt cheep contract with no guarantees at all for Nassib to come in to hopefully show his wares for another team who might want a back up quarterback.

Marshawn Lynch is your bestselling NFL jersey for May

Marshawn Lynch signing with his hometown Oakland Raiders has been just as big a deal off the field as potentially on it. While Oakland fans might be kicking rocks over their team departing for Las Vegas in a couple of years, it hasn’t dampened their enthusiasm to see their favorite son don the silver and black.

Lynch was the top-selling NFL jersey for May, beating out No. 2 seller Tom Brady. Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott and Deshaun Watson are all your Top Five sellers.

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Written by Adam Greene

Adam Greene is a writer and photographer based out of East Tennessee. His work has appeared on Cracked.com, in USA Today, the Associated Press, the Chicago Cubs Vineline Magazine, AskMen.com and many other publications.

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