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Commanders’ Terry McLaurin Requests Trade

July 31st, 2025 at 10:40pm CST by Ben Levine

The staredown between the Commanders and Terry McLaurin has resulted in a trade request. According to Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the star wide receiver has requested a trade out of Washington. ESPN’s Adam Schefter has confirmed the report.

McLaurin seemed to quiet the ongoing trade chatter after he reported to training camp earlier this week, ending his brief holdout. After showing up to the Commanders facility, the wideout was placed on the active/PUP list as he nursed a lingering ankle injury. Of course, there’s been plenty of speculation that McLaurin simply showed up to avoid fines, and his phantom injury was simply part of his hold-in strategy.

It sounds like the two sides made some effort to return to the negotiating table. However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes that talks have “stalled,” leading to today’s sudden trade request. James Palmer of Bleacher Report notes that the Commanders don’t appear to be “moving” from their existing offer, while Albert Breer of TheMMQB says there hasn’t been any progress in talks for a month.

McLaurin has one year remaining on a three-year, $71MM deal he signed with the Commanders back in 2022. The $23.3MM average annual value now ranks 17th among wide receivers, and the former All-Pro is naturally seeking a new deal that would put him towards the top of the positional market. While McLaurin hasn’t explicitly stated what kind of money he’s seeking in his new deal, there’s been a belief that he’s pushing for a contract that would pay him around $32MM to $33MM per year. That would put him just outside the top-three AAVs among wide receivers (behind Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, and CeeDee Lamb).

The Commanders, meanwhile, have been hesitant about offering a contract that exceeds a $30MM AAV. While 2019 Day 2 classmates D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown both earned contracts that place them in the top-six of their position, the Commanders have been wary of offering a similar pact to the older McLaurin. The 2025 campaign will represent McLaurin’s age-30 season, and it sounds like the front office is using that factor against their star wideout.

On the flip side, it’s stunning that the Commanders have let the stalemate get to this point. The organization is coming off their most successful season in decades, with 2024 second-overall pick Jayden Daniels quickly establishing himself as a franchise quarterback. While the team brought in the likes of Deebo Samuel and Michael Gallup this offseason, McLaurin is still far and away their most dynamic playmaker, and the team’s immediate outlook would take a significant hit if the wideout is playing elsewhere in 2025.

While it was publicly known that a gap existed between the Commanders and McLaurin, the front office has resisted trade inquiries so far. According to Schefter, rival teams have considered making a run at the wideout, and it remains to be seen if today’s development will change the organization’s approach.

It’s not surprising that suitors would be lining up for McLaurin’s services. The former third-round pick has been one of the most consistent players at his position since entering the league in 2019. McLaurin has topped 1,000 receiving in each of the past five seasons, and he’s coming off one of the most productive campaigns of his career. The 29-year-old finished 2024 with 82 catches for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Still, the most likely outcome sees the Commanders ultimately relenting to McLaurin’s demands. From Samuel to Tee Higginsto Brandon Aiyuk, we’ve seen plenty of wideouts request trades that didn’t (immediately) come to fruition. Considering how much the Commanders have to lose in this situation, that appears to be the likeliest outcome here, although this will obviously be a situation to watch over the next month.

Raiders, LT Kolton Miller Agree On Extension

July 30th, 2025 at 8:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Four Raiders remain from the Oakland days of the franchise. The longest-tenured of those four players is now set to stick around in Las Vegas for a few more years, at least. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Raiders are extending left tackle Kolton Miller on a three-year, $66MM agreement. The new deal includes $42.5MM of guaranteed money.

It’s no surprise that Miller is getting a new deal. We knew back in April that he was seeking a new deal as he skipped the team’s voluntary offseason program. Miller was entering the 2025 NFL season on the final year of the three-year, $54MM extension he had signed in 2021 to move on from his rookie deal. This time around, he’s received a $4MM-per-year raise.

There were thoughts that the Raiders might be looking to draft his replacement with options like Armand Membou and Kelvin Banks Jr. in range at No. 6 overall, but the team opted instead for a pair of third-round, developmental lineman in Texas Tech’s Caleb Rogers and William & Mary’s Charles Grant. Following the draft, Miller returned to team activities as the Raiders seemingly started to play ball. Miller had made it clear that he wanted to retire a Raider, it was just unclear whether or not the team was going to meet him there.

Miller has been a full-time starting blindside blocker for the Raiders since they selected him 15th overall in 2018 out of UCLA. Out of a possible 116 games, Miller has been on the field for all but seven of them. It took a couple years for his massive 6-foot-8, 325-pound frame to find his mojo in the NFL, but he improved year after year. Vegas opted to extend him before they even needed to make a decision on his fifth-year option, giving him an impressive — though not boundary-pushing — deal that would make him the fifth-highest paid offensive lineman in the NFL at the time.

Miller rewarded their faith in him with the best season of his career, in which Pro Football Focus (subscription required) would grade him as the fifth-best offensive tackle in the league out of 83 players graded at the position, commensurate with his salary. Though he hasn’t graded that high in the three years since, rankings of sixth in 2022, 11th in 2023, and 13th last year show that, time and again, Miller is up there with the best bookends in the NFL.

Miller’s new deal is, once again, impressive while not encroaching on the league’s highest-paid tackles, who are creeping up slowly on $30MM per year. His $22MM-per-year average ties him as the 11th-highest-paid tackles with Jordan Mailata and Zach Tom. The three-year term of the deal is short of those we’ve seen for young stars like Rashawn Slater (four years) and Tristan Wirfs (five years), but the contract length is well in line with players closer to his 29 years of age. Laremy Tunsil (28), Dion Dawkins (29), Ronnie Stanley (30), and Taylor Decker (30) all signed three-year deals of their own in the last two years.

While kicker Daniel Carlson shared a rookie year in Oakland with Miller, he didn’t join the team until Week 3 after the team that drafted him (Vikings) waived him two weeks into the season. Having worn a Raiders jersey longer than any other player in the locker room, as a result, Miller’s tenure has been extended through the 2028 season. It’s still to be determined whether or not he’ll spend his entire career in silver and black, as he desires, but today’s deal goes a long way in helping him towards that goal.

Seahawks To Extend GM John Schneider

July 30th, 2025 at 8:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks moved John Schneider to the top of their personnel pyramid in 2024, firing Pete Carroll and giving their GM final say. A year later, the team is extending its longtime front office boss.

Schneider and the Seahawks have agreed on a four-year extension, according to FOX’s Jay Glazer. The new deal will push Schneider’s contract through 2030. Schneider has been in place as Seattle GM since 2010. Were he to finish out this contract, the Super Bowl-winning decision-maker would become one of the longest-tenured GMs in NFL history. Among pure GMs in the league today, Schneider already sits second (behind only the Saints’ Mickey Loomis) in terms of longevity.

This is Schneider’s first extension since the blockbuster Russell Wilson trade. Credited with drafting the franchise QB in the 2012 third round and building a loaded roster around him in the early 2010s, Schneider cashed out at the right time by unloading the 10-year Seattle starter for an eight-asset bounty. The Broncos gave the Seahawks two first-round picks and two seconds to headline the package, one that also included Noah Fant, Drew Lock and Shelby Harris. This armed the Seahawks in the 2022 and ’23 drafts, and key starters emerged from the haul.

While Schneider’s trade gave the Seahawks prime draft resources, the team has not turned a corner since that March 2022 swap. Wilson indeed tumbled off the star tier, to the point the Broncos needed to designate him a post-June 1 cut in 2024 and take on a record-setting dead money total to do so, but the Seahawks have not reached the heights of even the QB’s late prime. They booked a playoff berth in 2022, at 9-8, but missed the following two brackets. A 9-8 2023 season led ownership to ditch Carroll and retain Schneider, who then hired Mike Macdonald. The duo signed off on significant offseason changes this year.

After reviving Geno Smith‘s career, the Seahawks traded their three-year starter to the Raiders for a middling return (a 2025 third-rounder). D.K. Metcalf had requested a trade, and Seattle parted with the Pro Bowl wide receiver days later. The team collected a second for the six-year veteran and will retool around free agency additions Sam Darnold and Cooper Kupp. This swap injects considerable risk into the equation, given Darnold’s uneven history and Kupp’s injury trouble. Both Smith and Metcalf signed extensions elsewhere this offseason.

Schneider’s previous extension had run through the 2027 draft; ownership is showing confidence the GM can steer another turnaround following the offseason shakeup. This belief undoubtedly comes from Schneider being in place when he and Carroll built one of the best NFL nuclei this century, having stacked their defense during Wilson’s rookie-contract years. This produced a dominant Super Bowl win and, despite injuries piling up a year later, another run to the game’s top stage. The Seahawks have not been back to an NFC championship game since the fateful Malcolm Butler interception, and Wilson was asked to do much more during the second half of his tenure. That still brought a host of playoff berths, but the Seahawks are attempting to elevate their operation to the Legion of Boom-era level more than a decade after the Patriots loss.

The Seahawks have booked 10 playoff trips during Schneider’s tenure, forging a successful partnership in pairing Carroll with a veteran Packers exec. They are 147-96-1 under Schneider, whose draft record slipped a bit between the Legion of Boom period and the Wilson trade. The Seahawks had not picked up a fifth-year option on a player Schneider drafted until this offseason, exercising Charles Cross‘ 2026 option. Ownership is counting on the pieces from the Wilson trade changing the equation, and Schneider has security as a new-look roster tangles with the Rams and 49ers in the NFC West.

Trey Hendrickson To Report To Bengals Training Camp

July 29th, 2025 at 10:58pm CST by Ben Levine

Trey Hendrickson‘s showdown with the Bengals took another turn this evening, as the star pass rusher is transforming his holdout into a hold-in. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Hendrickson is planning to report to Bengals training camp tomorrow. However, the two sides are not any closer to a deal. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport notes that the player is currently en route to Cincinnati.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero adds that it’s unlikely Hendrickson will actually practice with his team until he inks a new contract. However, today’s development is clearly a positive step forward for the two sides, and having the edge rusher in the building should only help build momentum towards an eventual resolution. Indeed, Dianna Russini of The Athletic says the player and the Bengals intend to continue working on a deal after negotiations recently broke down.

We heard last week that the player had retreated to Florida after rejecting a pair of offers from the Bengals, and Hendrickson seemed prime to engage in his long-threatened holdout. That absence ended up lasting less than a week, with the pass rusher incurring daily fines of $50K for being a no-show.

Hendrickson’s brief trip to Florida threw cold water on the building optimism in Cincinnati. Owner Mike Brown and de facto general manager Duke Tobin both expressed recent optimism that the two sides would soon come to an agreement. However, later reports indicated that there was still a sizable gap in negotiations. While Hendrickson and the Bengals were reportedly in agreement on the average annual value of an extension, the team was still unwilling to meet the player’s core demands of length and guarantees.

Specifically, Hendrickson has reportedly been seeking locked-in money for the first three years of his extension. The Bengals, who have only recently backed down from their refusal to hand out future guarantees to veterans, were only willing to include guaranteed money in the first year of their offer. This stalemate ultimately led to Hendrickson departing Cincinnati for Florida.

It remains to be seen if the two sides can bridge that gap, although it seems unlikely that the stare down ends in a trade. Hendrickson recently made it clear that he wants to stick in Cincinnati, and he said that sentiment is shared by the organization. Today’s development is a good sign as the two sides look to repair their relationship, although Hendrickson’s impending hold-in will likely cause new distractions for the organization.

Hendrickson represented the last player to engage in a training camp holdout. Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin reported to camp the other day without a deal, and Hendrickson will now follow suit. Courtland Sutton engaged in his own pseudo-hold-in and was rewarded with a lucrative contract extension yesterday.

Titans Waive WR Treylon Burks

July 29th, 2025 at 4:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

JULY 29: Burks cleared waivers and heads to the Titans’ IR list, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets. An injury settlement, removing Burks from IR, will be the likely next course of action. That would lead him to free agency.

JULY 28: Treylon Burks‘ tenure in Tennessee is on track to come to an end. In the wake of his latest injury, the former first-rounder has been waived.

This move has come with an injury designation, which comes as no surprise given the broken collarbone Burks recently suffered in training camp. Injuries have plagued the 25-year-old throughout his brief NFL tenure, which began when Tennessee selected him with the No. 18 pick in the 2022 draft. That selection was acquired by dealing A.J. Brown to the Eagles.

Given the link between the two wideouts created by the trade, Burks’ evaluations have always been measured against Brown’s Philadelphia success. During each of his three seasons with the Eagles so far, Brown has earned a Pro Bowl nod and second-team All-Pro acclaim; the 28-year-old was also a key figure in the team’s Super Bowl success in 2025. Burks, by contrast, entered this summer on Tennessee’s roster bubble.

The Arkansas product managed a career-best 444 yards as a rookie while being limited to 11 games. Optimism was high that, with better luck on the health front, he could round out his game and develop into a regular on offense with the Titans. Staying on the field has proven to be an issue, however – Burks missed six games again in 2023 and an ACL tear limited him to five contests last season – and when available he has not managed to meet expectations. The collarbone injury accelerated the timing for what could have been a decision to move on from the Titans closer to the start of the regular season.

Tennessee’s receiver depth chart will once again be headlined by Calvin Ridley this season. Veteran Tyler Lockett was added in free agency, as was Van Jefferson. The Titans used the draft to add a pair of Day 3 prospects at the position (Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor), and they will look to handle backup roles during their rookie seasons. Tennessee entered Monday with nearly $30MM in cap space, so finances will not be an issue if one of the veterans still on the market is targeted in the wake of this move.

Burks is now headed to waivers, with all teams free to claim him. Provided he goes unclaimed, he will revert to injured reserve. Situations such as these often result in a release being worked out along with an injury settlement. If that proves to be the case for Burks, his Titans stint will end on an unwanted but unsurprising note.

Broncos Extend WR Courtland Sutton

July 28th, 2025 at 10:53pm CST by Adam La Rose

As expected, a deal is indeed in place between Courtland Sutton and the Broncos. The sides agreed to an extension on Monday, as first reported by Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

This will be a four-year pact, per the report. Sutton’s new deal is worth $92MM. It ensures a free agent departure will not be possible next spring and keeps him under contract through the 2029 campaign. The contract contains $41MM in total guarantees, per 9News’ Mike Klis, including $27MM in new locked in compensation. The team has since announced the extension.

Having reported to training camp – but participated on a limited basis – Sutton remained a figure to watch regarding a deal being struck in time for Week 1. Earlier today, reports indicated progress had been made toward a deal. Head coach Sean Payton confirmed the news of an agreement was coming soon, and that has now taken place.

Prior to today, Sutton was due to collect $14MM in 2025. The 29-year-old has now secured a raise, albeit one which does not move him particularly close to the top of the receiver market. With an average annual value of $23MM, this extension will move Sutton into a tie with Calvin Ridley for 18th in terms of yearly compensation at the position.

Team and player agreed to a one-year compromise last summer, with 2025 emerging as the time for a long-term arrangement to be made. Nevertheless, the likes of Nik Bonitto and Zach Allen appeared to enter training camp as higher priorities for Denver with respect to working out an extension. In the end, though, it is Sutton who is the first member of that trio to secure a raise. It will be interesting to see if today’s move is followed by other big-ticket agreements for the Broncos.

Sutton has spent his entire seven-year career in the Mile High City, operating as a full-time starter along the way but not always managing to produce at an elite level. The former second-rounder notched 1,000 yards for the first time in his career in 2019, but he did not duplicate that feat until this past campaign. Enjoying a strong year with rookie quarterback Bo Nix, Sutton set a new career high with 81 catches and managed eight touchdowns.

Denver has repeatedly drafted complementary wideouts dating back to before the Payton era began in 2023. As a result, the likes of Marvin Mims, Devaughn Vele, Troy Franklin and Pat Bryant will be counted on as contributors for Nix’s second NFL season. Out of Denver’s receivers, though, Sutton will of course again be relied on to lead the way. If he can duplicate the success of 2024, the team’s offense could improve from last year’s impressive showing.

This offseason has seen a number of changes made in Denver’s backfield as the team seeks a more consistent run game. It will be interesting to see how the new faces at the running back spot fare, but in any event Sutton will continue as a mainstay and a focal point for Nix to target. That will also be the case well beyond the 2025 campaign.

Colts, Bernhard Raimann Agree To Extension

July 28th, 2025 at 10:45pm CST by Nikhil Mehta

The Colts are locking down left tackle Bernhard Raimann with a four-year, $100MM extension, per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. The deal is now official, per a team announcement.

Raimann said last week a gap between his asking price and the Colts’ offers existed; that difference was resolved in a matter of days. In that time, the Chargers signed Rashawn Slater to a $28.5MM APY extension, which may have helped to accelerate negotiations in Indianapolis.

Raimann’s $25MM APY makes him the sixth-highest-paid offensive lineman in the league, tied with Laremy Tunsil and Lane Johnson. His contract also includes $60MM in guaranteed money; if that amount is fully guaranteed, it would be the second-most among all offensive lineman.

Regardless of the precise terms, it’s an impressive deal for the Austrian-born Raimann, a rare franchise left tackle drafted outside of the first round. That’s all the more impressive considering the fact that he converted from tight end to offensive tackle at Central Michigan in 2020 and only played 18 games at the position before going to the NFL. After a strong Combine, the Colts bet on his athletic potential and selected him in the third round (No. 77) of the 2022 draft. Raimann had an uneven start to his rookie year, but took over the left tackle job in Week 9 and never looked back.

Raimann is not a household name, due in part to his lack of Pro Bowl or All-Pro recognition. However, he has been graded as a top-10 tackle by Pro Football Focus (subscription required) over the last two years, combining with Quenton Nelson to form one of the best tackle-guard duos in the league. With a combined APY of $45MM, they are now also one of the most expensive.

The Colts now have Raimann under contract through 2029, but their future at other spots is less clear. Nelson is due for an extension next offseason and will likely receive another deal at the top of the guard market barring a significant injury or drop in play. The team hopes Tanor Bortolini can succeed Ryan Kelly, but the 2024 fourth-rounder only has five pro starts under his belt. 2024 third-rounder Matt Goncalves is moving to right guard after playing tackle in college as well as his rookie year. Braden Smith accepted a pay cut this year, which often precludes a parting of ways after the season, though Ravens left tackle Ronnie Stanley stands out as an exception.

Indianapolis will be hoping that its 2024 draftees can hold up in starting roles and leave right tackle as the only uncertain spot heading into 2026. Raimann is now the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman drafted outside of the first round, as well as one of the highest-paid foreign-born players in league history.

Chargers, Rashawn Slater Agree To Extension

July 27th, 2025 at 10:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

10:25pm: Mike Florio of NBC Sports delivered some details on Slater’s new record-setting contract. Of the $92MM in guaranteed money, $29MM comes in the form of his signing bonus. His base salaries in 2025 ($2MM) and 2026 ($11MM) are fully guaranteed, as are the $7MM roster bonuses in each year. His base salaries for the remaining years are $26MM in 2027 (guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2026), $23.29MM in 2028 ($10MM guaranteed for injury at signing and fully guaranteed in March 2027), and $20.75MM in 2029. He can also receive a $7MM roster bonus in 2029, giving Los Angeles incentive to let him play out the final year of the deal.

The deal is structured in a way that rewards Slater with the largest one-year, two-year, and four-year cash flows for an offensive lineman in NFL history. Daniel Popper of The Athletic adds that Slater’s cap hits as a result of the new contract will be $14.8MM in 2025, $23.8MM in 2026, $31.8MM in 2027, $29.09MM in 2028, and $33.55MM in 2029.

1:03pm: Rashawn Slater will not enter the 2025 campaign as a pending free agent. Talks on a Chargers extension produced an agreement Sunday.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports team and player have agreed to a four-year, $114MM extension. This monster pact – which is now official – includes $92MM guaranteed and makes Slater the highest-paid offensive linemen in NFL history. As a result of this pact, he is on the books with Los Angeles through 2029.

Given the Chargers’ decision to pick up Slater’s fifth-year option last spring, he was on track to collect $19.04MM in 2025. A mutual interest has long existed for a multi-year pact to be worked out, however, and after skipping OTAs the former No. 13 pick attended mandatory minicamp. Expecting to land an extension in time for Week 1, Slater was also present for the start of training camp this month. Per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Slater sat out early practices while the agreement was finalized.

When Penei Sewell inked his Lions extension last offseason, he moved the bar to $28MM in average annual value. Tristan Wirfs narrowly surpassed that mark on his second Buccaneers contract, and Slater has now moved to the top of the pecking order. The 26-year-old’s AAV of $28.5MM is a new watermark for offensive linemen, and his guarantee figure – which will come into greater focus when the full structure of this pact is known, of course – far outpaces the other top earners along the O-line.

Slater has started all 51 of his regular season games with the Bolts, putting to rest questions about his arm length potentially preventing him from operating as a left tackle at the NFL level. The Northwestern product earned a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie and has rebounded from a health perspective since being limited to three games the following year. Slater finished a career-worst 17th in terms of PFF grade in 2023, but he landed a far better evaluation last season.

In 2024 – with No. 5 pick Joe Alt handling right tackle duties – Slater received a 90.9 PFF grade, good for second amongst qualifying tackles. The Chargers will be counting on that level of play continuing for the foreseeable future. Alt loomed as a potential candidate to replace Slater on the blindside starting in 2026, but today’s move ensures that tandem will remain in place for years to come.

Strength up front was, to no surprise, a key target for the Jim Harbaugh-Joe Hortiz regime when it took over last year. The Chargers now have Slater under contract long term while Alt has plenty of runway on his rookie pact. Mekhi Becton was signed in free agency after his stellar one-and-done Eagles campaign, and he will occupy the right guard spot. A rotation between left guard and center is ongoing with respect to Zion Johnson and Bradley Bozeman, but regardless of how that plays out the offensive line will again be expected to be among the league’s best in 2025.

The Bolts made the postseason in Harbaugh’s first year in charge, but a turnover-filled performance on the part of quarterback Justin Herbert resulted in a wild-card exit. If the team is to take a step forward this year, Slater will no doubt play a major role. His performance will now be measured with a record-breaking commitment on the part of the team in mind.

Cowboys, TE Jake Ferguson Agree To Extension

July 27th, 2025 at 10:23pm CST by Rory Parks

The Cowboys and tight end Jake Ferguson have agreed to a four-year, $52MM extension, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The deal features $30MM in guarantees, including a $12MM signing bonus.

Although it was reported earlier this year that Dallas was eyeing a new deal for Ferguson, the negotiations mostly flew under the radar. In terms of average annual compensation, the contract places Ferguson seventh in the NFL’s tight end hierarchy. It also makes him the highest-paid TE in franchise history (h/t Rapoport).

Ferguson, 26, was selected by the Cowboys in the fourth round of the 2022 draft. He played in just 40% of the club’s offensive snaps in his rookie campaign, but he assumed TE1 duties in 2023, when Dalton Schultz left in free agency. As part of a prolific Dallas attack that led the league in scoring and finished fifth in total offense that year, Ferguson tallied 71 catches for 761 yards and five TDs.

Of course, 2024 was a different story. With quarterback Dak Prescott missing over half of the season due to injury, Ferguson totaled just 494 receiving yards and failed to reach the end zone. Nonetheless, Ferguson has shown he can be a productive member of a healthy and capable offense, and the Cowboys have opted to bet on that upside rather than allow the Wisconsin product to play out the final year of his rookie contract.

In addressing the extension, new head coach Brian Schottenheimer partially attributed Ferguson’s downturn in production to the TE’s own health concerns (via Jon Machota of The Athletic). Ferguson suffered a sprained MCL in Week 1 of the 2024 slate and then dealt with a concussion in the middle of the season, but those issues appear to be behind him. Schottenheimer also said Ferguson has lost weight and is moving well.

“I have zero doubts in my mind that his production will get back to where it was the year before,” Schottenheimer said. “I think last year was just kind of one of those years that you look back on your career and it was more of a fluke than anything.”

Historically, Prescott has relied heavily on his tight ends, so getting the Ferguson deal done represents a key piece of business for the Cowboys. The team remains in a holding pattern in its talks with star edge rusher Micah Parsons, and while that situation has understandably generated the most headlines, new contracts for players like Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland, and Brandon Aubrey could also be in the works.

Commanders WR Terry McLaurin Reports To Camp; No Extension In Place

July 27th, 2025 at 7:13am CST by Rory Parks

Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who held out of the first several days of training camp as part of his effort to secure a lucrative extension, has reported to the team, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. However, there is no new contract in place, and Washington has put McLaurin on the active/PUP list with an ankle injury.

In addressing the situation, head coach Dan Quinn said McLaurin will work off to the side with trainers to get his ankle better (via ESPN’s John Keim). It is unclear whether McLaurin will practice with the club once he has fully recovered.

While Keim notes McLaurin was dealing with an injury to the same ankle at the end of last season, multiple writers appear skeptical about the ailment. Schefter suggests McLaurin is simply engaging in a hold-in rather than a holdout, and JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington said, “I bet [the ankle] would get better with an 8 figure check.”

Indeed, Keim confirms today’s development does not mean there has been progress towards an agreement, and player and team will continue discussions in that regard. McLaurin has not publicly indicated what he is seeking in negotiations, but Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post suggests his floor could be $32MM – $33MM per year. In terms of average annual value, that would place McLaurin among the top-six highest earners at the wide receiver position, though guarantees and cash flow are generally more important benchmarks.

Offering a slightly more optimistic take than Keim, ESPN’s Field Yates says McLaurin’s reporting is “maybe” a sign that the parties have bridged at least some of the gap between them. In any event, hold-ins are typically viewed as a more effective negotiating tool than holdouts, and McLaurin surely wanted to stop the accrual of daily fines that accompanied his holdout. McLaurin missed three days of minicamp and four days of training camp, pushing his fine total to $305K (via Jhabvala). He also missed out on a $500K workout bonus.

McLaurin’s age (30 in September) could make it harder for him to join younger peers like Garrett Wilson (25) and D.K. Metcalf (27), who are making between $32MM to $33MM per year on their new deals. Nonetheless, McLaurin’s importance to the Commanders is obvious, and trading the two-time Pro Bowler would surely run counter to the team’s goal of another deep postseason run.

For now, Quinn – who said he spoke with McLaurin Saturday night – is simply glad to have the franchise stalwart in the building.

“It was great,” Quinn said (via Keim). “I’m really pumped that he’s here.”

The HC added, “On the business side, [GM Adam Peters] and the guys are still working hard with Terry and his reps. While on PUP, it’s just like we do with other guys — work with the trainers to get back as soon as he can.”

In a corresponding move, the Commanders have waived Fentrell Cypress II with an injury designation. Cypress was a priority undrafted free agent in this year’s class and secured $145K in guarantees. Washington clearly did not see enough from him in spring practices or the first few days of training camp to keep him on the roster.

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