Hogs Haven
A collection of articles, podcasts & tweets from around the web to keep you in touch with the Commanders, the NFC East, the NFL and sports in general, and a sprinkling of other stuff
There is major risk involved in signing McLaurin, who turns 30 this September, to a long-term contract extension.
Is it smart to commit big money and multiple years to a player entering his 30s, no matter how respected he is in the locker room? Angering or losing a fan favorite can spark backlash, but teams that prioritize emotion over economics often end up paying for past performance at the expense of future flexibility.
Viewed purely through a football business lens, there is a strong case against the Commanders giving McLaurin a big-money contract extension.
Especially for wide receivers who play primarily on the outside like McLaurin, reaching age 30 is rarely the beginning of anything. Historical aging curves show that production — measured in this case by fantasy football point output — tends to peak between ages 23 and 27, with sharp declines beginning around 28. Fantasy scoring isn’t perfect, but it’s a decent shorthand for real-world productivity. Based on that curve it’s more probable that McLaurin will regress from last year’s highs than sustain or surpass them in the coming seasons.
The issue isn’t that McLaurin wasn’t worth $30 million, or more, last year. It’s whether he is worth that going forward.
McLaurin deserves respect and reward for what he’s already done, and there’s no question the Commanders would be in trouble this coming season if he didn’t play, given he is far and away the team’s most productive pass-catcher. But NFL contracts aren’t about the past; they’re about paying for future production, and the data strongly suggests his next few seasons will look more like a gentle descent than a sustained peak. Overcommitting to McLaurin at, say, $30 to 35 million per year risks hamstringing the team’s ability to build its roster in the coming years.
The Commanders made a surprising move just days before the start of training camp. News broke late on Wednesday night that star pass rusher and future hall of famer Von Miller is signing with the Washington Commanders for the 2025 season. As of writing, details of the move haven’t been announced and the team hasn’t yet confirmed it officially, but Miller posted a picture of himself in the Commanders new alternate uniforms on his social media platforms to confirm the news.
One of the major topics of the offseason for the Commanders has been the pass rush and how the Commanders can improve there. The team lost one of their top pass rushers in Dante Fowler in free agency and didn’t replace...
