Washington Commanders News & Rumors

Ron Rivera continues to say the right things regarding a Terry McLaurin long-term future in Washington. The third-year Washington HC expressed optimism on a deal coming to pass and added the Commanders are not planning to trade their No. 1 wide receiver.

The team may be moving forward in this process. The Commanders are intensifying their efforts to extend McLaurin, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com noted during a Monday appearance on Get Up, adding the team is aiming to have a deal done by training camp. Since McLaurin skipped minicamp, talks sparked to the point the Commanders are “upping their proposals,” Fowler adds (via Bleacher Report).

Although the team keeps pushing, its efforts have not swayed the fourth-year wideout. The Commanders attempted to hammer out a deal last week, Fowler added (via NBC Sports Washington’s Ethan Cadeaux, on Twitter), with the hopes of even getting him to minicamp. McLaurin’s side did not budge, and no deal is imminent.

This contract may be trickier than the $25MM-per-year agreement the Eagles reached with A.J. Brown, though that pact certainly will not help the Commanders. McLaurin does not yet have a Pro Bowl invite, separating him from Brown, Deebo Samuel and D.K. Metcalf. But he does have three 900-plus-yard receiving seasons and has averaged more receiving yards per game (67.2) than Metcalf (64.7). McLaurin, 26, is undoubtedly pushing for an accord north of $20MM per year, as fellow zero-time Pro Bowlers Mike Williams and D.J. Moore scored this offseason.

A McLaurin deal would help create a price range for Samuel, Metcalf and Diontae Johnson, though it is not certain if the latter — who has yet to be offered an extension — is on the Steelers’ second-contract radar. With Christian Kirk having scored an $18MM-AAV deal in March, Washington will need to be prepared to pay more than $20MM on average. McLaurin has not just led Washington in receiving over the past three seasons; he has done so by wide margins. The most notable gap came in 2021, when McLaurin’s 1,053 yards were 656 better than the team’s second-most productive pass catcher.

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.