Eagles’ Jeremy Maclin Calls Riley Cooper’s Joke ‘Not Very Smart’

Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin wasn’t amused by teammate Riley Cooper’s joke about Maclin’s contract status dictating his playing time.

Jeremy Maclin was less than pleased to hear fellow Philadelphia Eagles receiver Riley Cooper joked about his playing time. After Cooper hinted that Maclin gets more reps because he’s in a contract year, Maclin quickly retorted in a less-than-pleased manner.

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“That was not a very smart thing for Coop to say,” Maclin said, per the Philadelphia Inquirer, in response to Cooper’s previous comments related to the decline in his playing time and the continued increase in snaps for Maclin. Additionally, Maclin denied that he was asking for or receiving more snaps because of his contract status.

Cooper originally told the Inquirer, “Maclin’s trying to get a contract so he’s probably not going to try and come out of the game,” which sparked the irritation on Maclin’s end. Cooper has since backed off those comments, calling them a joke while offering a serious assessment of their places within the team’s structure.

“I’m supposed to sub every four, five plays and that’s what I do,” Cooper said. “Maclin, I guess, is a lot better player than me, so he doesn’t have to.”

Maclin is enjoying a resurgent 2014 season, tallying 63 catches for 980 yards and 9 touchdowns after having missed the entire 2013 season with a knee injury. Cooper meanwhile has 39 catches for 425 yards and one touchdown.

Contract or not, the choice seems clear for the future of the Eagles’ wide receiver corps. No doubt, the team will consider that when they negotiate with Maclin this offseason.

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