Pro Football Rumors
Failing to develop a reliable Terry McLaurin sidekick for the first six years of the standout wide receiver’s career, the Commanders took on Deebo Samuel‘s salary in their most notable attempt to resolve the issue. As Samuel readies for training camp, Washington appears unlikely — based on how things are going, at least — to have McLaurin on the practice field to open its set of preseason workouts.
After a report last week indicated McLaurin is unhappy with the tone of extension talks, the Pro Bowl receiver confirmed as such Tuesday. McLaurin added (via ESPN.com’s John Keim) “without any progress in discussions it’s kind of hard to see how I step on the field.”
McLaurin mentioned that talks between he and the Commanders have not transpired over the past month. While the perennial 1,000-yard target is not pushing for a trade, he appears ready to force the issue in some way fairly soon.
“I want to be here. I want to make that abundantly clear,” McLaurin said. “… I guess you can say there is a point of no return. I don’t think it’s at that now but … time is kind of ticking.
“When you have that type of production, when you know how people value you and see you have told you to your face and then you see how it’s progressing until this point, that’s very disappointing. I’m just trying to get some clarity. Shoot it to me straight.”
Skipping OTAs, McLaurin received a $104K fine for failing to report to Commanders minicamp last month. Were he to miss training camp workouts, he would face $50K-per-day penalties. This has generally deterred players from holding out, as teams can no longer — as of the 2020 CBA — waive the fines for players on veteran contracts. That said, a holdout uptick has occurred over the past two years. Chris Jones, Zack Martin and Nick Bosa stayed away from training camp in 2023; Trent Williams and Haason Reddick followed suit last year. The hold-in measure has brought a sweet spot for disgruntled players, and McLaurin certainly seems set to exercise that option while he angles for a new contract.
McLaurin’s dissatisfaction with the Commanders’ negotiations has come up a few times this offseason. He was surprised by the difficulties this process has brought, but two weeks later, no progress had been made. McLaurin is tied to the three-year, $69.6MM deal agreed to during the 2022 offseason. That year brought a sea change in the WR market, and McLaurin joined 2019 draft classmates A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf, Diontae Johnson and Samuel in cashing in. However, Brown and Metcalf have since inked third contracts. McLaurin has been more consistent than Samuel and Metcalf on their respective second contracts as well, not missing a game and earning two Pro Bowl nods on the deal. McLaurin’s $23.2MM AAV has fallen to 16th among receivers.
McLaurin’s resume reminds of Amari Cooper; both have amassed a string of 1,000-yard seasons without a 1,200-yard year. (Though,...
