Washington Commanders News & Rumors

JULY 30: A previous reference to an asking price beyond $30MM per year looks to be accurate. McLaurin is believed to targeting Metcalf’s $33MM-AAV number, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes. The 2019 draftees have similar career production, with Metcalf’s coming with much more QB stability compared to McLaurin’s.

Metcalf is tied to the NFL’s fourth-highest receiver AAV; considering there are five players earning at least $30MM per year yet south of where Metcalf’s Steelers contract settled, this would help explain the holdup in the McLaurin-Commanders negotiation.

JULY 29: The 2024 offseason expanded the $30MM-per-year wide receiver club to six members. D.K. Metcalf, Ja’Marr Chase and Garrett Wilson have taken it to nine this year. Terry McLaurin is undoubtedly pushing to bump that number to 10, after seeing 2019 Day 2 classmates Metcalf and A.J. Brown land among that contingent.

McLaurin reported to training camp Sunday and landed on the active/PUP list. As our Rory Parks explained, skepticism exists about how injured the Commanders’ top wide receiver really is. An ankle injury has keyed the PUP stay, but it can be safely assumed McLaurin would be ready to practice if an extension comes to pass. Nevertheless, the Commanders have been surprised by the difficulty of these talks.

[RELATED: Assessing McLaurin’s Extension Value]

Using an injury to avoid practicing while negotiating — developments the Jonathan Taylor and Micah Parsons sagas brought — represents a third tactic, joining the holdout and the increasingly utilized hold-in amid extension talks. McLaurin shifted from a holdout to the injury route; no matter how he is accomplishing not practicing, the seventh-year veteran is aiming to land a lucrative third contract. His age provides a complication for Washington.

McLaurin is going into an age-30 season, separating him from Brown and Metcalf. Both Ole Miss products were drafted just before McLaurin, a 2019 third-round pick, but they are each two years younger. This strengthened their cases for big-ticket third contracts. McLaurin went first to ignite the second-tier boom on the receiver market in 2022, agreeing to a three-year, $69.6MM extension. That shaped the Metcalf and Deebo Samuel extensions, both of which coming in higher than McLaurin’s despite the latter’s consistency with suboptimal quarterback situations.

McLaurin’s AAV has dropped to 17th at wide receiver. The Commanders are prepared to extend their top wideout, but Sportskeeda.com’s Tony Pauline indicates hesitancy regarding the $30MM-AAV number. Some around the league point to the team not wanting to go into that neighborhood for McLaurin, despite his five 1,000-yard seasons. Courtland Sutton and McLaurin are nearly the same age, and the Broncos’ top target signed a four-year, $92MM extension. That matches where the Titans went for Calvin Ridley (now 30) in 2024. McLaurin, though, has a better resume than both and should be aiming higher. The Commanders have a Jayden Daniels rookie contract to structure another McLaurin extension around as well.

Adam Peters was around for the 49ers’ 2022 Samuel extension but not Brandon Aiyuk‘s $30MM-per-year deal. (The Samuel extension also did not work out for the 49ers, who proceeded with a salary dump of sorts by trading him to the Commanders.) The second-year GM taking a hardline stance with McLaurin would be an interesting route given the WR’s importance to a sudden contender. Peters confirmed talks are ongoing, with that comment coming after McLaurin expressed frustration about the negotiations.

A potential gap between the pack of 20-somethings (and Tyreek Hill) north of $30MM AAV and the Tee Higgins–Jaylen Waddle–D.J. Moore tier could be relevant here, and it will be interesting to see if McLaurin settles for something just south of that $30MM benchmark. Guarantees and contract structure, of course, will be important to determining the value as well. A short-term extension should be reached soon, per Pauline, but if the Commanders hold the line at or around $30MM, the McLaurin matter could drag on for a while longer.

JULY 24: During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show (video link), NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero noted McLaurin is currently in the Virginia area as his holdout continues. Per Pelissero, all options – anything from requesting a trade to backing down and playing the 2025 season without an extension in hand – remain on the table at this point. In the absence of an agreement, an escalation on the part of McLaurin’s camp looms as a potential development in this saga.

JULY 22: Terry McLaurin did not report to Commanders training camp, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, marking the start of a holdout amid his protracted extension talks with the team.

Washington’s veterans were due to report today for a conditioning test, which was described as an “unofficial start” to training camp by Schefter. McLaurin was the only Commander not in attendance, which is expected to remain the case until he reaches an agreement on a new contract.

General manager Adam Peters made it clear earlier today that the organization would “do whatever we can to get a deal done,” although the front office apparently didn’t show enough urgency to avoid a holdout. McLaurin will now face daily fines of $50K for missed practices.

Entering the final season of his three-year, $68MM extension from 2022, McLaurin has cited recent deals signed at his position. Garrett Wilson was the most recent wideout to receive a lucrative extension, as the Jets WR garnered a four-year, $130MM contract that included $90MM in guaranteed money. McLaurin’s situation is a bit unique considering he’s set to enter his age-30 campaign, but the Commanders star could still expect a hefty payout on his next deal.

The former third-round pick has topped 900 receiving yards in each of his six NFL seasons, including five-straight years of 1,000-plus yards. The 2024 season was one of the most productive campaigns of his career, as McLaurin finished with 82 catches for 1,096 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns.

While the Commanders appear motivated to work out a long-term pact, there shouldn’t be a lack of suitors if the organization suddenly pivots to a trade. Just the other day, we heard that the Patriots would have interest in acquiring the star receiver, and New England surely wouldn’t be the only potential landing spot for the Pro Bowler.

In the meantime, McLaurin’s absence will give several players an opportunity to push for first-team reps in Washington. This group includes veterans K.J. Osborn and Michael Gallup as well as recent draftees Luke McCaffrey and Jaylin Lane.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.