Raiders seen as perfect destination for contract holdout

While the Las Vegas Raiders were lucky to avoid any serious drama with left tackle Kolton Miller’s holdout at the beginning of OTAs, some teams across the NFL have not been as fortunate.

Teams such as the Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins are undergoing at least one high-profile holdout, with the threat of them stretching out until when training camps start up across the league in July. Another team going through a similar issue, although not quite as serious as the others, is the Washington Commanders with wide receiver Terry McLaurin. Unlike some of the other holdouts (Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson and Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey), McLaurin is widely expected to come to an agreement with the Commanders on a new contract.

The longer negotiations are drawn out, however, the greater the opportunity a team like the Raiders has to take advantage of the misfortune.

The Raiders should be willing to pounce if McLaurin winds up on the market.

In his article finding landing spots for contract holdouts, Fox Sports’ David Helman listed the Raiders as the ideal spot for McLaurin, with the caveat that it is likely Washington will reach an agreement with him.

“To be clear: I’m incredibly confident Terry McLaurin will remain a Commander. He’s been loyal to that franchise, even when times weren’t so good. He’s done nothing but produce, even when he didn’t have a star quarterback. He’s even held out before, as he used this strategy to secure his current extension back in 2022. I really don’t think Washington will let him walk when it finally has a chance to contend,” Helman wrote.

“But if I’m dreaming up a perfect landing spot for McLaurin, Vegas really sounds fun. Talk about a big swing for a team that hasn’t had a lot to get excited about. The Raiders are already in decent shape for Geno Smith’s first season. Brock Bowers is a star, and Ashton Jeanty should be one soon. Jakobi Meyers is a solid receiver, but Vegas still needs to upgrade its receiver room. Rather than take your chances in the draft, why not ship a pick or two to Washington and lock in McLaurin for the rest of his prime? Make fun of me if you want, but a Raiders skill group of McLaurin, Bowers, Jeanty and Meyers might be the best in the AFC West.”

If the Commanders cannot meet McLaurin’s demands, the Raiders will.

Recently, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer said McLaurin is pushing for his next deal to land north of $30 million annually. Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton chimed in by saying what McLaurin is demanding is reasonable after staying with the Commanders through the struggles of the Dan Snyder era.

“If Washington satisfies his reported contract demands, that would make him one of the league’s eight highest-paid wideouts, which seems fair for a player who has eclipsed 1,001 receiving yards in five consecutive seasons and is coming off his second Pro Bowl term,” Moton wrote.

Tensions between McLaurin and the Commanders are not high enough to anticipate a trade yet, but the Raiders should be waiting in the wings if things go south between the two sides.