Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is “not happy with where things are with an extension,” according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler (via Bleacher Report’s Joseph Zucker).
McLaurin and the Commanders have been working on a new contract throughout the offseason, and this is not the first report of his dissatisfaction with negotiations. He skipped OTAs and mandatory minicamp over frustration with extension talks as he enters the final season of a three-year deal signed in July 2022. That contract briefly made him the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL at $23.2M per year before he was surpassed by Deebo Samuel the following month and several other wideouts since.
Since signing his first extension, McLaurin has continued to produce as one of the league’s top pass-catchers. 2024 was his fourth fully-healthy season in a row and his fifth with at least 1,000 receiving yards; he also posted career-highs in catch rate (70.1%), success rate (58.1%) and touchdowns (13), the last of wich trailed only Ja’Marr Chase. For his efforts, McLaurin earned the second Pro Bowl nod of his six-year career and his first selection as an All-Pro (second-team).
With an ascending offense led by a quarterback on a rookie contract, the Commanders would appear to be in a position to reward one of their best and longest-tenured players. Extending McLaurin would also lower his 2025 cap hit, which currently ranks 20th among all players. However, the sides had made little progress as of late June, and that still seems to be the case, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“There’s no update…and that’s the problem,” said Schefter on the Pat McAfee Show, noting that comparable receivers like D.K. Metcalf signed for over $30M per year this offseason. However, as Schefter added, perennial 1,000-yard wideout Mike Evans signed for just $24M last offseason.
“There really is quite a difference and a gap between what both sides would want,” continued Schefter. “They have not made any progress.”
Teams may inquire about trading for McLaurin, per Schefter, but he “cannot envision the Commanders moving on.” He characterized the stalemate in Washington as similar to T.J. Watt‘s situation in Pittsburgh: both sides want to get a deal done with the expectation of reaching an agreement before the season, but as of now, they are “not close.”
McLaurin is due to report to training camp on July 27, so they have a few weeks to hammer out a deal to stave off a potential ‘hold-in’ this summer.
