Washington Commanders News & Rumors

The Terry McLaurin situation in Washington has escalated to the point the fourth-year wide receiver is not at the team’s minicamp. McLaurin’s absence, along with the rapidly rising receiver market, has led Ron Rivera to continue addressing this rather key topic.

After previously indicating optimism for an extension to be completed this year, Rivera took it a step further Wednesday afternoon (via NBC Sports Washington’s Peter Hailey) by indicating the Commanders will not be pushed to trade McLaurin. Extension talks are ongoing here.

“We’re not trading Terry,” Rivera said, via NBC Sports Washington’s Peter Hailey. “We’ve been talking with his folks probably the last week and we’re working on some stuff. Hopefully, it’ll be taken care of in a matter of time. How much time? Don’t know. But it’s never contentious, I can promise you that. We’re feeling pretty good and pretty confident that this’ll get done.”

Trades have been a frequent topic during this historically potent wideout offseason. Trade-and-extension sequences involving Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill reset the receiver market, leading to the glut of fourth-year players to take notice. This preceded the Titans — after beginning negotiations with A.J. Brown this offseason and both Mike Vrabel and Jon Robinson indicating Brown would be a long-term Tennessee weapon — trading their No. 1 receiver to the Eagles on draft night.

Even before Brown was dealt, Deebo Samuel requested a trade out of San Francisco. D.K. Metcalf trade rumors swirled ahead of the draft as well, and the Seahawks’ fourth-year pass catcher stayed away from his team’s minicamp. McLaurin has not been connected to being moved. Rivera attempting to stop any rumors in their tracks makes sense, though other coaches and GMs ensured their top wideouts would not be dealt — only to see trades transpire soon after. Brown is now tied to a $25MM-per-year contract that includes a receiver-most $56MM fully guaranteed. McLaurin, 26, should not be expected to top that. But the former third-round pick should be expected to eclipse $20MM per year — a range the Titans did not enter during Brown talks — on his next deal.

Washington has McLaurin under contract through 2022; the 2023 franchise tag option would loom if no extension happens before March. Teams have used the tag to keep No. 1 or No. 2 receivers off the market fairly frequently in recent years. Beyond Adams and Chris Godwin this year, the Bears (Allen Robinson), Bengals (A.J. Green) and Dolphins (Jarvis Landry) have cuffed wideouts over the past five offseasons. The 2019 receiver class could populate next year’s tag ledger, with Samuel, Metcalf, McLaurin and Diontae Johnson unsigned.

The Commanders have gone through significant tag drama in recent years as well. The previous regime famously tagged Kirk Cousins twice before losing him in free agency. Rivera’s regime tagged Brandon Scherff twice. No deal came to fruition this year, and the perennial Pro Bowl guard signed with the Jaguars. Washington’s McLaurin situation is far away from this stage now, but past examples show where these situations can lead.

JUNE 13: McLaurin does indeed plan to skip this week’s mandatory minicamp, as he continues to try and leverage a new contract, Jhabvala tweets. The Commanders can fine their standout receiver more than $90K, though McLaurin’s absence — as Washington begins its Wentz era — looms larger than the small fine he will incur.

JUNE 12: In an offseason which has seen skyrocketing contract values for young receivers, the Commanders face a crucial decision with respect to Terry McLaurin. The team is seeking an extension with him, but a new contract does not appear to be forthcoming. 

Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post reports (via Twitter) that negotiations are ongoing, but the two sides remain “far apart.” The 26-year-old is eligible for an extension for the first time in his career, after three seasons operating as the team’s focal point on offense. Despite a rotating cast of quarterbacks, he has produced back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, leading many to believe he would join A.J. Brown as a 2019 draftee receiving a substantial raise this offseason.

The chances of a deal being signed seemed to increase when it was reported Washington curtailed some its free agent spending knowing a McLaurin extension (as well as one for Daron Payne) needed to be accounted for. However, there has clearly been little progress made since then.

The former third-rounder was expected to be present at OTAs, albeit without taking part in on-field work. However, it became known last month that McLaurin has been away from the team since the draft. That left the matter of his minicamp attendance in question. On that point, Jhabvala adds that it “seems unlikely” at this point that he will be present for the three-day mandatory practice period. In that event, the Ohio State alum would become subject to as much as $93K in fines, at the team’s discretion.

Moving towards a year which, given the addition of quarterback Carson Wentz and receiver Jahan Dotson in the first round of the draft, could see the Commanders improve on offense, the contract situation with their top wideout is set to remain a contentious issue for at least the immediate future.

While Terry McLaurin was expected to skip the on-field portions of Washington’s offseason workouts, as he angles for an extension, the fourth-year standout was planning to be at the team facility for leadership purposes. That stopped weeks ago.

McLaurin began the team’s offseason program April 18 by participating in all team activities other than on-field work, but the Washington Post’s Nicki Jhabvala notes the veteran wide receiver did not show up for the Commanders’ first OTA Monday and has not been with the team since the draft (Twitter links).

It should be expected McLaurin will not be on the field for any of Washington’s voluntary OTAs, absent an extension. Next month’s mandatory minicamp will be the next chapter here. McLaurin, 26, has not received a Pro Bowl invite but has two 1,000-yard seasons on his resume. The Ohio State alum has been the centerpiece of Washington’s aerial attack since arriving as a 2019 third-round pick. This combination, coupled with other developments at the receiver position this offseason, makes for particularly interesting negotiations.

Declining to expand much on this situation, Ron Rivera said (via Jhabvala, on Twitter) the team continues to communicate with McLaurin and believes this situation will be resolved. Rivera said in February extensions for McLaurin and Daron Payne were on the docket, and a recent report indicated Washington spent cautiously in free agency because of its McLaurin extension plan. Of course, this offseason has brought an earthquake for the receiver market — one that has shaken up a few teams’ depth charts.

The Packers are believed to have made a comparable offer for Davante Adams, who chose to reunite with Derek Carr over staying in Green Bay. But Adams’ $28MM-per-year contract led to the Chiefs and Titans determining Tyreek Hill and A.J. Brown‘s post-Adams-deal asking prices were too high. Hill is now with the Dolphins on a receiver-record $30MM-per-year deal, while Brown is an Eagle on a $25MM-AAV contract. Brown’s pact, which is certainly relevant to McLaurin’s negotiations due to each being a 2019 Day 2 draftee, actually tops Hill’s for fully guaranteed money ($56.4MM) by a decent margin. That raises the stakes for the Commanders, Seahawks and 49ers, who each employ wideouts in the contract-year boat in which Brown previously resided.

Washington used a first-round pick on Penn State wideout Jahan Dotson, giving the team a well-regarded wideout prospect that can be under rookie-contract control through 2026. Although the Titans essentially replaced Brown with first-rounder Treylon Burks, the Commanders’ issues finding a McLaurin complementary wideout should point to the team going with a McLaurin-Dotson foundation for the foreseeable future. But the team will need to determine if McLaurin’s demands are worth it.