The negotiators are not commenting, other than agent Jim Steiner expressing hope for a quick resolution and saying, "The lines of communication are excellent." But Maclin's absence speaks for itself. This is more ominous than it should be, more than anyone on the outside anticipated.
Everything sounded fine a few days ago. A few weeks before that, a source close to Maclin told the Daily News that the reason Maclin picked his agents, Steiner and Ben Dogra, was because they are so good at getting their guys signed by the start of camp. The final piece of the Eagles' Happiness Tour was to be in place. The wide receiver who fell into their laps on draft day was to be prepared to contribute in a significant way, as DeSean Jackson had done last season.
The stakes are big for the kid, who doesn't want to start his career hopelessly behind. The stakes might be bigger for the club, whose offseason planning - so widely applauded - includes a real contribution from another player with field-stretching potential.
Yet we all wait.
"I think we're close in a couple areas," Reid said at a 5 p.m. press conference. "We need to get closer in a couple other areas."
Reid indirectly brought up the point that has to scare everybody - the fact that so few first-round draft choices have signed their contracts. There are only three so far, quarterbacks Matthew Stafford (No. 1, Detroit) and Mark Sanchez (No. 5, New York Jets), plus center Alex Mack (No. 21, Cleveland). In a business where signings tend to fall into slots, there are almost no benchmarks out there for the agents and the clubs.
