With contract negotiations seemingly at an impasse, Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has requested a trade from the Commanders.
McLaurin, who has already held out for the first 4 days of training camp amidst his ongoing frustrations with the club over a new deal, eventually reported to camp to avoid additional fines. However, he’s since been sidelined with an ankle injury as part of a “hold in” strategy to avoid the $50K per day penalties.
“You’d like to get these things done quicker, but it doesn’t always happen that way,” Washington GM Adam Peters told reporters on Day 1 of camp. “Whatever happens along the way, just understand he’s a great player and we want to keep him here.”
For their part, Washington has shown no desire to part ways with the talented 29 year old. The Commanders advanced to the NFC Championship game in 2024, surprising many with how quickly they went from rebuilding to contending.
McLaurin hauled 82 catches for 1,096 yards and 13 TDs, earning 2nd team All-Pro honours for his efforts. With the offensive additions of WR Deebo Samuel, LT Laremy Tunsil, and rookie wideout Jaylin Lane, the Commanders offence figures to be even more potent in 2025 than they were last season.
How effective the team is however, largely hinges on whether their WR1 is in the building or not come September. The former Ohio State star is set to become a free agent at season’s end, and is slated to make roughly $22.8M this season.
However, with receivers such as Tyreek Hill ($30M AAV), Tee Higgins (4 years, $115M), and DK Metcalf (4 years, $132M) resetting the market, McLaurin is looking to parlay his strong 2024 campaign into a long term deal. In all likelihood, a deal will get done, with the team seemingly willing to continue negotiating in good faith.
But until pen gets put to paper, one can expect a media circus in DC for the foreseeable future when it comes to a team with championship aspirations, but an unsigned star receiver.
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