Terry McLaurin staring down bleak reality in Commanders contract showdown

Terry McLaurin cut a somber figure on the sidelines during the Washington Commanders' final preseason game. The wide receiver remains on the fringes as his contract standoff with the franchise continues, and patience is wearing incredibly thin among the fan base.

McLaurin and his agent have backed themselves into a corner. They came into negotiations with an extortionate sum in mind that general manager Adam Peters was never going to pay. They've taken every drastic measure and not backed down, but it has not caused much urgency from the general manager to get the matter resolved.

The battle is straining relationships. Trust is diminishing, and frustrations are building. Fans who were firmly behind the wideout in his quest to get paid are backing off after reports of his agent's demands surfaced. Panic is also growing about how much McLaurin will be able to contribute early in the season once he gets back involved.

Terry McLaurin and his agent have lost their contract war with the Commanders

It's a complete mess. One that McLaurin and his agent, Buddy Baker, brought on themselves.

Baker's overplayed his hand, and then some. He wants McLaurin to get a higher average annual salary than D.K. Metcalf, even though his contract won't begin until he's 31 years old. He's tried everything to pile on the pressure, but he's messing with the wrong guy if he thought that Peters was going to break.

McLaurin is suffering. He's listening to advice and paying a premium for it. But there is a harsh reality looming for the Ohio State product and his representative.

He's not going to get more than $33 million per season. That could have been the case when Dan Snyder was the owner, but things are being done differently with Peters leading the charge. Once McLaurin and Baker finally realize this, the next step is to bring the price down in pursuit of reaching some common ground.

Perhaps McLaurin and Baker don't want to lose face. They've come this far, but they've already lost this war. There is no chance the second-team All-Pro is going to give up $850,000 per game in checks. That doesn't make any financial sense, and it will enrage fans who are becoming increasingly disappointed by the way his camp has handled things so far.

And yet, there remains hope that this long saga can find a compromise that makes everybody happy. That remains the most likely solution, with Peters refusing to consider a trade. When that'll arrive is the big question nobody knows the answer to right now.

Final cuts are happening. After that, the Commanders' attention turns to Week 1 against the New York Giants. McLaurin needs to get with the program and get back to work.

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