Terry McLaurin’s Shocking Video with Commanders Owner Stirs Major Controversy After Bold Trade Request – You Won’t Believe What Happens Next

The Washington Commanders continue dealing with the fallout from Terry McLaurin’s public trade request, though things in-house may not be as dire as they seem outwardly.

A video of McLaurin at a team practice on Saturday, August 2, showed the star wide receiver greeting team owner Josh Harris and the mother of quarterback Jayden Daniels in a warm embrace. The franchise shared the video on its official social media accounts.

“Terry McLaurin greeting Jayden Daniels’ mom, Regina, and Commanders owner Josh Harris at today’s practice,” the Instagram caption said.

Commanders Brass Sees Terry McLaurin’s Trade Request as Simply ‘Business’

GettyWashington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

McLaurin asked out of Washington on the final day of July after weeks of stalled negotiations.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported a couple days prior that the Commanders “love and value” McLaurin, but not at his asking price. Schefter speculated the wideout is seeking more than the $33 million annually DK Metcalf got on his most recent deal from the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this offseason.

The reel Washington posted Saturday of McLaurin and Harris isn’t indicative of the sort of animosity Micah Parsons apparently feels toward Dallas Cowboys ownership and failed to veil in his public trade demand Friday. Instead, it appears McLaurin’s actions may be more leverage-based. In other words, they are business — which is precisely how head coach Dan Quinn described them Saturday.

“We love Terry and are really glad he’s here and hope he’s practicing soon, but I also understand the business side of things. That’s what they’re working through. I love coaching him,” Quinn said, per ESPN.

The head coach noted that McLaurin told him of plans to issue a trade request before levying it, another indication of a reasonable relationship between player and organization.

“Players today are more aware of contracts than they used to be. They recognize that’s the business part,” Quinn continued. “For Terry, the trade request, that’s part of normal business that’s happening around the NFL. We understand it.”

Commanders Face Tough Value Questions Amid Terry McLaurin Trade Request

GettyWashington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.

McLaurin will turn 30 between Washington’s Week 2 and 3 contests this season. He is entering the final year of his $68.4 million contract.

It is hard for anyone to argue McLaurin isn’t a No. 1 receiver or that he hasn’t proven incredibly valuable to the Commanders over his six-year tenure. He has tallied at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of the past five seasons and hauled in 13 TD receptions in 2024, a career high, during his first year with Daniels.

But Bill Barnwell of ESPN wrote July 30 that because of his age, McLaurin probably can’t command a first-round pick in trade.

“Commanders fans don’t want to find out whether they can land a premium pick for WR Terry McLaurin, whose public battle for a new contract has felt like a relic of the Daniel Snyder days,” Barnwell wrote. “As good as I believe McLaurin is, it would be tough to see a team trading a first-round pick for a wideout who turns 30 in September.”

And so Washington finds itself in a value tug-of-war, so to speak. McLaurin is valuable to the offense and the new quarterback, but every dollar the franchise overpays him subtracts from his value in the context of the roster as a whole.

But by trading their best wideout for value shy of a first-round pick, will the Commanders put themselves in an even worse position than they would by just paying McLaurin?

Whatever evaluation Washington makes is going to have major implication for the upcoming season, and potentially several years into the future.