Chiefs release WR Maclin in midst of voluntary workouts

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Just a couple weeks ago, Jeremy Maclin was exchanging vows at his wedding attended by some of his closest friends, many of them his teammates with the Kansas City Chiefs.

They became his former teammates Friday night.

The Chiefs released the veteran wide receiver in a stunning move midway through their voluntary workouts, bringing an abrupt ending to the tenure of what was arguably general manager John Dorsey and coach Andy Reid’s biggest free-agent acquisition.

“I’d like to thank Jeremy for his effort and dedication the past two seasons,” Dorsey said in a statement. “I have great respect for all players, which makes decisions like these very difficult, but we felt it was in the best interest of our club moving forward to part ways at this time.”

The Chiefs have been struggling with the salary cap for few years, and they had just $3.5 million available before the move. By releasing Maclin after June 1, they saved about $10 million that they can use to sign their three remaining draft picks and any additional free agents.

Maclin was due a base salary of $9.75 million this season. His cap hit was $12.4 million.

“These decisions are never easy, especially with a player like Jeremy who I’ve grown close with on and off the football field over the years,” Reid said. “I have a lot of respect for the way he goes about his business and how he handles himself as a professional. I wish him the best of luck moving forward.”

The move certainly surprised Maclin, who tweeted: “Crazy business this is.”

Maclin was entering the third year of a $55 million, five-year contract with Kansas City.