If history has taught us anything, it’s that it’s probably too soon to overreact to the ongoing contract dispute between the Washington Commanders and NFL All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin..jpg)
To that end, there has been a curious development in the last few weeks after Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported McLaurin was seeking somewhere in the neighborhood of $30 million per year and Fox Sports NFL Insider Jordan Schultz reported McLaurin had grown “frustrated” without an offer.
Practically thinking, at $30 million per year, the only number of years we can reasonably expect the Commanders to push back on would be a 5-year, $150 million ask by McLaurin. Anything else you would want to have him signed by now, unless the beef is over guaranteed money.
In terms of annual salary, the real thing to remember might be that $30 million is probably too low for an NFL All-Pro wide receiver and undisputed WR1 on a Super Bowl contender.
The smart move would be to get a little ahead of the market with an offer that lands between $32 million and $33 million per year. That would put McLaurin among the top 5 highest paid NFL wide receivers in 2025 and keep him in the Top 10 at least through 2026.
Playing Devil’s Advocate in McLaurin Deal
While we can laugh all day at the whole sub genre of “Until Terry McLaurin Gets Paid” memes floating around the internet, it’s important to try and see things from the Commanders point of view in regards to the deal. Even if we don’t like or agree with it, necessarily.
The Commanders basically have 2 lanes to try and negotiate McLaurin’s number down.
First, his age. He turns 30 years old in September and there wasn’t anyone over 30 who made the Top 10 in NFL receiving yards in 2024. Then, there’s his stats.
While McLaurin has 5 consecutive seasons with 1,000 receiving yards, he’s only finished in the Top 10 in the NFL in receiving once, in 2022, when he was 10th with 1,191 yards. He’s also only finished in the Top 10 in receiving touchdowns once, when he was second with 13 touchdowns in 2024.
Commanders Need To Show They’re Serious People
There’s a great scene in the final season of the Golden Globe Award winning TV series “Succession” when Logan Roy (Brian Cox) confronts his children as they party together in a karaoke bar amidst a tense battle with their father over the future of his multi-billion dollar business empire.
“I love you, but you are not serious people,” Logan tells his children as a veiled threat to not go to war with him over a business deal.
If the Commanders want to avoid the same fate as the Roy children, they need to show they’re serious people. Teams so rarely get a chance to chase a Super Bowl like this, and it usually takes years and years of planning. The Commanders did it just 2 years after longtime owner Daniel Snyder finally sold the team.
Not having their second most important player behind quarterback Jayden Daniels signed yet makes it seem like the Commanders aren’t serious about winning. It makes it seem like they don’t understand what’s at stake.
