If things weren’t already super uncomfortable between NFL All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin and the Washington Commanders, then they certainly are now.
McLaurin’s contract dispute with the Commanders added another chapter on June 10 when news broke he would not be attending mandatory minicamp — and it’s not the first time he’s missed mandatory workouts over a contract dispute.
“Commanders WR Terry McLaurin is frustrated with contract negotiations and will not be attending minicamp, per source,” The Athletic’s Diana Russini wrote on her official X account. “McLaurin skipped OTAs and minicamp three years ago before he inked his last extension. Now, as he enters the final year of his deal, he is not showing up again.”
McLaurin is coming off the best season of his career after he earned All-Pro honors for the first time, exceeded 1,000 receiving yards for the fifth consecutive season and led the NFL with 13 receiving touchdowns. T
The Commanders had their best season as a franchise with McLaurin as well, going 12-5 during the regular season and making the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
He’s in the final season of a 3-year, $68.36 million contract extension he signed in June 2022 and due $19.65 million this season.
McLaurin is thought to be looking for a significant bump that would put him among the Top 10 highest paid wide receivers in the NFL — meaning whatever his next deal is it would need to pay him in the range of $30 million per season.
10th touchdown in 9 games for Terry McLaurin 👏
📺: #WASvsPHI on FOX
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus
Message From Fans Clear: Pay The Man
The animosity over McLaurin’s contract dispute seems solely aimed at the Commanders and not the player refusing to show up for work.
The Washington Post’s Sam Fortier pointed out that the Commanders’ official Instagram account found that out the hard way recently.
“Washington Commanders posted about the NBA Finals on Instagram and nearly every comment is a demand to pay WR Terry McLaurin,” Fortier wrote on his official X account on June 5.
Other fans were much more clear — and graphic — about how they felt about the Commanders not coughing up the cash for McLaurin.
“Terry mclaurin been carrying that sorry (expletive) franchise with sorry (expletive) QBs his entire career, now they finally got a QB and dont wanna pay him but will pay deebo samuel’s mid (expletive),” X user SACKLANTA wrote. “… be (expletive) serious.”
Nuclear Option Includes Trading McLaurin
There remains one extreme option that could include trading McLaurin — something that would likely alienate the fan base in a major way.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox put forward a series of trade proposals involving McLaurin, including one that sends him to the Los Angeles Chargers and turns the AFC West franchise into an instant Super Bowl contender.
The Chargers are also a team where there’s no clear cut WR1 and in Knox’s trade proposal, they wind up with a haul. In the McLaurin-to-Hollywood scenario, the Commanders get a 2026 second round pick, 2026 fourth round pick and wide receiver Quentin Johnston, a 2023 first round pick, in exchange for McLaurin.
Mandatory minicamp runs for the Commanders from June 10-12.
