Terry McLaurin\u2019s contract stalemate with the Washington Commanders has lasted for months, with the sides seemingly no closer to an agreement and the Sept. 7 season opener looming.<\/p>\n
The dispute has become increasingly tense, with McLaurin airing his grievances during a lengthy news conference before training camp and later requesting a trade<\/a>. His absence, along with fellow receiver Noah Brown\u2019s injury, has left Jayden Daniels and the Commanders\u2019 offense in somewhat of a holding pattern, unable to know what they are just yet.<\/p>\n As the impasse continues, with McLaurin absent from the team\u2019s second preseason game on Monday and still not on the practice field two days later, more questions have arisen.<\/p>\n How did we get here?<\/strong><\/p>\n McLaurin, a third-round pick in 2019, has been a face of the franchise for much of his time in Washington, often serving as a voice of the team when former ownership declined to talk about off-field controversies that had nothing to do with the players. He\u2019s had five consecutive seasons of 1,000-plus receiving yards, has played with 11 starting quarterbacks over his career and hasn\u2019t missed a game in four seasons.<\/p>\n The Commanders awarded him a three-year extension worth around $70 million in 2022, a year before his rookie deal was set to expire, indicating his value to the team. Talks in that offseason became difficult, however, and McLaurin opted to skip part of OTAs and mandatory minicamp before reaching an agreement about a month before training camp. McLaurin went on to earn his first Pro Bowl selection that season.<\/p>\n Contract talks started similarly this time around. McLaurin felt his pay, which, at $22.79 million in average value, ranks 18th among receivers, wasn\u2019t in line with his value to the team or with the exploding wide receiver market. He decided to seek a new deal.<\/p>\n Preliminary discussions with the Commanders made it clear that both sides wanted to get a deal done, but they were far apart from the outset and still haven\u2019t bridged the gap.<\/p>\n As often happens in contract negotiations, the longer the impasse, the more it seems to become personal for one side. McLaurin told reporters last month he was \u201cpretty frustrated.\u201d General manager Adam Peters, meanwhile, has sparingly addressed McLaurin\u2019s contract situation publicly, saying only that the team wants to reach an agreement.<\/p>\n What is McLaurin asking for in a contract extension?<\/strong><\/p>\n McLaurin believes he\u2019s one of the best receivers in the NFL. He\u2019s been the Commanders\u2019 leading receiver every season since he entered the league, and last year had the second-most receiving TDs in the league behind Ja\u2019Marr Chase\u2019s 17. He also ranked third in EPA on targets and seventh in catch rate among receivers with at least 100 targets last year, but among that same group, McLaurin\u2019s total receiving yards (1,096) ranked 12th and his average yards after the catch ranked 25th.<\/p>\n The top receivers in pay are earning at least $30 million a year. There are now nine of them at that level.<\/p>\n One person with knowledge of McLaurin\u2019s contract negotiations said the veteran receiver has asked for more than DK Metcalf, who signed a four-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this year.<\/p>\n If McLaurin is seeking more than Metcalf\u2019s $33 million a year in average annual value, that would put him in the top four among receivers. If he seeks more than the $60 million Metcalf is guaranteed, that would land him in the top 10 receivers among guaranteed money. If McLaurin is using Metcalf\u2019s deal as a benchmark based on percentage of the team\u2019s cap, the Commanders\u2019 wideout would be asking for more than 11.8 percent of Washington\u2019s cap in average annual value, which would be at least the fifth-highest percentage among receivers, according to Spotrac.<\/p>\n In his 30-minute session with reporters a week before camp, McLaurin shared his frustrations but said he wanted to stay in Washington.<\/p>\n Canvassing the league’s decision makers, it’s hard to find anyone believing Terry McLaurin will get the number he and his camp are asking for from Washington in a new deal.<\/p>\n More on Scoop City: https:\/\/t.co\/ghUotuAvI7<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/HbgEU2eqWH<\/a><\/p>\n\n