Jul 23, 2025; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) walks out of team headquarters onto the fields prior to practice on day one of training camp at OrthoVirginia Training Center at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Commanders' new star sends a clear message about Terry McLaurin's holdout

Originally posted on Washington Commanders on SI
By Caleb Skinner | Last updated Aug 7, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Much has been made of Terry McLaurin's contract holdout.

Everyone has their opinion on whether or not he deserves what he is seeking, and recent Washington Commanders' wide receiver acquisition Deebo Samuel sent a message to McLaurin when speaking with former Commanders' legend Santana Moss.

"I've been in this situation before," Samuel exclaimed to Bleacher Report. "I'm pretty sure you've done been in this situation (referring to former Washington WR Santana Moss) plenty of times. I'm a guy that, not to try to get too deep in the business side of things, but at the end of the day, you know, 17, you know, I want you out here. I want him out here for sure. No matter how long it takes, I understand the business side of things, but whenever it happens, you know we're going to hit the ground rolling."

'I Want Him Out Here'

It's pretty great to see that a former WR1 is supporting his fellow WR1 as he works through this whole extension ordeal.

Samuel dealt with similar circumstances during his time with the San Francisco 49ers. Almost all players have or will deal with a situation such as this in their careers, but for star players, it is always heightened.

Samuel eventually found himself on the way out of San Fran, giving elite quarterback talent Jayden Daniels another weapon opposite of McLaurin.

The overwhelming thought is that McLaurin will indeed get what he is asking for from Adam Peters and the front office, but there is always the off-chance that he could get traded, which would ultimately thrust Samuel into the WR1 role in Washington.

With Samuel and McLaurin in the fold for Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury's offense, that side of the ball could vault from a slightly above-average unit to one of the best in the league.

Pressure on the Front Office

That was the plan from the get-go after going after Samuel, and the hope is that that remains the same as we continue to move through training camp and the preseason before the regular season kicks off.

The NFL is a business, and that is part of the game, no matter how much we may dislike it. The pressure is on the Commanders' front office at this juncture, and it will be up to them to make sure that McLaurin is ready to go once they sign him to keep the camaraderie going as we inch closer and closer to the start of the 2025 season.