Ron Rivera continues to say the right things regarding a Terry McLaurin long-term future in Washington. The third-year Washington HC expressed optimism on a deal coming to pass and added the Commanders are not planning to trade their No. 1 wide receiver.
The team may be moving forward in this process. The Commanders are intensifying their efforts to extend McLaurin, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com noted during a Monday appearance on Get Up, adding the team is aiming to have a deal done by training camp. Since McLaurin skipped minicamp, talks sparked to the point the Commanders are “upping their proposals,” Fowler adds (via Bleacher Report).
Although the team keeps pushing, its efforts have not swayed the fourth-year wideout. The Commanders attempted to hammer out a deal last week, Fowler added (via NBC Sports Washington’s Ethan Cadeaux, on Twitter), with the hopes of even getting him to minicamp. McLaurin’s side did not budge, and no deal is imminent.
This contract may be trickier than the $25MM-per-year agreement the Eagles reached with A.J. Brown, though that pact certainly will not help the Commanders. McLaurin does not yet have a Pro Bowl invite, separating him from Brown, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf. But he does have three 900-plus-yard receiving seasons and has averaged more receiving yards per game (67.2) than Metcalf (64.7). McLaurin, 26, is undoubtedly pushing for an accord north of $20MM per year, as fellow zero-time Pro Bowlers Mike Williams and D.J. Moore scored this offseason.
A McLaurin deal would help create a price range for Samuel, Metcalf and Diontae Johnson, though it is not certain if the latter — who has yet to be offered an extension — is on the Steelers’ second-contract radar. With Christian Kirk having scored an $18MM-AAV deal in March, Washington will need to be prepared to pay more than $20MM on average. McLaurin has not just led Washington in receiving over the past three seasons; he has done so by wide margins. The most notable gap came in 2021, when McLaurin’s 1,053 yards were 656 better than the team’s second-most productive pass catcher.
Leading the Commanders in receiving is not exactly like leading the Chiefs or Bucs or Chargers. Don’t get me wrong. He’s talented. But who else have their qbs had to throw to? The Kirk and Brown deals are overpays. I could be wrong but I think he’s over playing his hand.
Kirk and Brown played their cards right! As will the rest of those draft class WR’s. Starting price for a WR1 is now $20M+, as high as $25m.
Washington Redskins