Coming out of college, Terry McLaurin was somewhat of an unknown prospect. He was in a stacked wide receiver room at Ohio State but showed glimpses of greatness. McLaurin was projected by many to start his career as a special-teams ace and eventually work into a starting role. When Washington drafted him in 2019, they quickly figured out they had a star on their hands.
Fan Favorite
It didn’t take long for McLaurin to become a fan favorite in DC. In his debut against the Eagles he exploded for 125 yards and a 69 yard touchdown. He would finish his rookie campaign with 7 receiving touchdowns despite mediocre quarterback play. In fact, that was the theme for McLaurin’s career until last season. Overall, McLaurin has played with 13 different starting quarterbacks over his time in Washington.
Despite the revolving door at quarterback, a terrible owner and several losing seasons, McLaurin never complained but instead perfected his craft. He could’ve complained, asked for a trade or spoke out to the media but that’s not who he is. That’s why he is so beloved in Washington, he has been a true team player.
Contract Standoff
Fast forward to today and McLaurin is one of the few training camp holdouts. There is a clear disconnect in his value between the Commanders front office and Terry’s camp. Rumors suggest McLaurin is asking in the $33m per year range while the Commanders are offering significantly lower than that. Is he worth that asking price?
That’s where this situation becomes tricky. Is he a top 10 WR? Yes, I believe he is right around the 10 range when ranking receivers. If he were to get $33m per year it would put him only below Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson and CeeDee Lamb. While McLaurin is clearly a star, he is not an elite game-breaking receiver in my opinion.
Adam Peters and the Washington front office most likely think the same but there is the loyalty factor. For many years he was the only bright spot on this Washington team. He is also coming off a franchise record 13 receiving touchdowns but is about to turn 30 in September.
It’s not as easy as giving McLaurin what he wants but at the same time you have to consider what he means to this team and community. My gut is telling me this will get done for around the $30m per year range but this holdout could last all the way through the pre-season.
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