Last week, after missing 12 practices of training camp, the Philadelphia Phillies reached a deal with their first-round draft pick Jeremy Maclin. It’s reported that Maclin signed a five-year deal that could be worth as much as $15.5 million, including $9.5 million in guaranteed money. That’s a great deal that both sides should be happy with, and the holdout didn’t last so long that he disgruntled fans and teammates. There are still 5 or so players left unsigned, including Michael Crabtree.

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb said after practice Monday that the 21-year-old Maclin’s absence through the first nine days of camp was no big deal.

“He’s a rookie,” McNabb said. “You all act like he’s been in the league for five or six years. You don’t know what he’s going to do anyway. All we ask of him is to catch the ball and get up field and score. That’s all we ask. I think for him, at this point, it’s a business aspect of things that we’ve all been through. It’s not like he’s the only one who’s holding out. He’ll be here. We’ll be able to get some work and be able to see what we can get out of him this year.”

We’ll be keeping an eye on Maclin during camp and bring you and pictures and videos that come up. The Eagles have their first preseason game on Thursday and you can bet Maclin will see some action.

The Jeremy Maclin contract holdout has officially reached it’s fourth day. Maclin is not alone though … I think only 4 first round picks are signed right now. The Eagles desperately need Maclin on the practice field. You know they have big things planned for him and he needs to work in some timing with Donovan McNabb.

Eagles fans were super excited to draft Maclin, but they can quickly turn on a player if he doesn’t perform. Things like contract holdouts don’t sit well with Eagles fans.

Here are a few things being said about him on Twitter.

@MilleronEagles: OK Jeremy Maclin. Get your ass to camp. It won’t take long for you to turn into the next Freddie Mitchell.

@brianseltzer: And Jeremy Maclin’s contract holdout is in its fourth day. The rookie WR absent again, now missing all of rookie/selected vets portion …

@SeanMetts: Jeremy Maclin…dude..just get your face to training camp. Eagles..stop being cheap..your in the top 5 in salary cap..STILL! Just sign him.

There were reports going around this weekend that Philadelphia Eagles first round draft pick Jeremy Maclin had inked a six-year deal worth $23 million. Those rumors were quickly squashed. First of all, I don’t believe he would sign a six-year deal… five seems more like it. Second of all, $23 million is way too much for the 19th pick in the draft. In the 2008 NFL Draft, $23 million went to the 9th pick..

It’s nice to hear some contract talks going around, but with only 2 first round picks signed so far (Stafford and Sanchez) it could be into August before something is confirmed with Maclin. I hope he doesn’t hold out, but it is always a possibility.

The folks over at the Bleacher Report put together a mock interview with Eagles rookie Jeremy Maclin. Below are the fake questions they would ask him. Are there any questions you would like to see added to the list? What do you think some of his answers would be?

Q: How do you foresee your transition from a spread-style offense at Missouri to the West Coast offense run by the Eagles?

Q: DeSean Jackson had a impressive rookie season in 2008. What can you take from his success in trying to have a successful rookie year?

Q: You were projected to be drafted as high as seventh overall to the Oakland Raiders. You fell to 19th. Do you feel any resentment over teams passing you by and does it motivate you to make them regret doing so?

Q: What do you bring to the table to be utilized in this offense?

Q: How does it feel to have the opportunity to play with a quarterback the caliber of Donovan McNabb?

Q: The learning curve for a wide receiver typically lasts into the second season. How quickly do you think you can absorb the offense and execute it efficiently?

Q: Finish this sentence. My ultimate career goal is…

Jeremy Maclin is entering the next stage of his football life, so naturally we at the Jeremy Maclin Zone are also entering the next stage of the fan site’s life. I’ve taken some time tonight to update the website’s design and remove the old Missouri Tigers logos/colors and change it to the Philadelphia Eagles logo/colors. I think the site looks pretty darn good. Maclin is going to look great in Eagle green.

For those of you new here…I’ll be bringing you cool polls, daily blogs during football season, Jeremy Maclin pictures, video, and more. It’s a great site if you’re a fan of the player or the Eagles. And of course, I’m not alienating Missouri fans… you’ll always be welcome here!