Former Ohio State Buckeyes Star Receives Striking Contract Prediction

Former Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Terry McLaurin has certainly had an interesting offseason, as he has been locked in quite a lengthy NFL contract standoff with the Washington Commanders.

McLaurin skipped mandatory minicamp and held out early on in training camp, but finally decided to report this week in spite of not having a new deal just yet.

The 29-year-old is not working out due to an ankle injury, but he is at least present on camp grounds for the Commanders as he continues to negotiate with the team.

Bleacher Report's Joseph Zucker is anticipating that an agreement will ultimately be reached between the two sides, and he is projecting that McLaurin will land a three-year, $90 million extension with Washington.

"It's clear both sides want to get a deal done, and the Commanders are looking to make a Super Bowl push while [Jayden] Daniels is still on a rookie contract," Zucker wrote. "So, there are enough reasons to believe a mutually beneficial resolution is coming. The guaranteed money, especially given McLaurin's age, will be interesting to keep tabs on. But $30 million per year is about the market rate for a receiver of his caliber and would place him at a similar figure as Amon-Ra St. Brown, Tyreek Hill and Brandon Aiyuk."

Of course, the caveat with McLaurin is that he turns 30 in September, which makes the idea of the Commanders giving him $30 million annually a bit more complicated.

The Ohio State product hauled in 82 receptions for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns last season and has posted five straight 1,000-yard campaigns, so he is an integral part of Washington's offense. But whether or not the Commanders want to commit such substantial money to an aging receiver is the question, and it's a fair one.

McLaurin spent four years with the Buckeyes between 2015 and 2018 before being selected by Washington in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.