Commanders risking disaster with Terry McLaurin as NFL expert sounds alarm

Terry McLaurin (or his agent) felt slighted enough by the Washington Commanders to hand in a trade request. Most fans are still expecting a new extension to be the outcome of this ongoing saga, but it remains a dark cloud enveloping the franchise until further notice.

And one NFL analyst believes that if the Commanders had any sense, they would pay the wide receiver whatever he wants and worry about the rest later.

The Commanders are playing hardball. McLaurin wants to be paid like one of the league's most prolific wideouts. However, general manager Adam Peters is looking for an agreement that gives Washington some flexibility if the production drops off at any stage. Neither side had budged so far, and the trade request didn't provoke any immediate action from the organization.

Commanders urged to pay Terry McLaurin now and worry about the rest later

Peters is running things the right way. Some fans and analysts might not like how he's handled this situation. At the same time, the front-office leader is only doing what he believes is best for business.

Steven Ruiz from The Ringer is firmly on McLaurin's side in this standoff. The analyst thought Washington needed the pass-catcher more than he needed them, and Peters is playing with fire by jeopardizing the cohesion quickly built under head coach Dan Quinn.

It’s not often that an almost 30-year-old receiver who’s not seen as a superstar has this sort of leverage. But the Commanders need [Terry] McLaurin more than McLaurin needs the Commanders. There is an easy solution to this problem: Pay the man and worry about the long-term ramifications later. That’s how Washington’s front office, led by general manager Adam Peters, has operated when acquiring other talent in recent offseasons. Their approach to retaining talent—especially one as integral to the team’s success as McLaurin was in 2024—shouldn’t be any different.Steven Ruiz

One positive from this, unless something's changed that we don't know, is that both sides are still working to find some middle ground. That might be some way off, but so is Washington's regular-season opener against the New York Giants.

McLaurin is back at the facility, and his agent has been there every day. The trade request indicates things haven't progressed encouragingly enough, but so long as the former third-round pick out of Ohio State is on the field in Week 1, nobody will care.

The Commanders won't be trading McLaurin. So the next challenge, which has always been the primary objective, is to work out a contract that benefits the player and the franchise.

Anything less is organizational malpractice.

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