Terry McLaurin deal grade: Commanders' saga ends with only realistic outcome

It looked for a long time as if Terry McLaurin and the Washington Commanders would never agree on a new deal. Insiders around the media were convinced things weren't progressing well, but that all changed when official confirmation regarding a massive extension arrived.

The Commanders gave McLaurin a three-year, $96 million deal that also includes a $30 million signing bonus. It'll be interesting to see the guarantees, but this looks like a win-win for all parties.

For more reasons than one.

Commanders and Terry McLaurin finally come to their senses on megabucks extension

McLaurin hasn't practiced for months. He's now got the best part of a fortnight to get himself up to speed before Washington takes the field in Week 1 against the New York Giants. His already developed chemistry with quarterback Jayden Daniels should keep complications to a minimum, but time is of the essence.

Both McLaurin and the Commanders probably feel like they came out of this well. The former third-round pick got the money he was looking for (again, we'll have to see the guarantees), and Washington gets to keep one of its franchise cornerstones happy heading into a crucial campaign.

This deal should also protect the Commanders from any severe regression. Adam Peters is a tough negotiator, so he won't have signed off on the contract without some security for the team, too. The general manager knows the history of wideouts who drop off in their 30s. McLaurin's shown no signs of that just yet, but the front-office leader is always thinking of the bigger picture.

Regardless of how the Commanders got to this point, extending McLaurin always seemed like the most realistic outcome. Teams around the league were working along this premise, which is probably why no legitimate trade interest emerged. Peters wanted the wideout to stay, and now he could potentially become a Washington lifer if everything goes well throughout his deal.

• Extension grade: A+

If the guarantees end up being more than $60 million, McLaurin will feel like all the drastic measures taken over the offseason were worth it. But the most important thing now is firmly focusing on the football side of things once again after this situation went on for much longer than anyone anticipated.

Nobody will be happier than McLaurin, Peters, and the fans. Everyone was ready to be done with this story, and the Commanders gave everyone a much-needed morale boost at the perfect time.

Now, it's on McLaurin to justify this lofty financial commitment. Nothing else will do.

More Commanders news and analysis