Report: Commanders intensified contract talks with Terry McLaurin but still no deal

Still, the Commanders remain intent on not trading McLaurin as Fowler explained the situation appearing on Sportscenter (h/t Bleacher Report).

“Washington has made it clear they’re not going to trade McLaurin; they want to get something done. I’m told they tried to really intensify their talks last week when he was gone from minicamp. They were hopeful to even maybe get something done and bring him in on that final day. So they were trading some contract proposals…didn’t quite get there. Now it appears there’s a lull in the action, so they’ve got about five weeks or so before training camp to try to get something done and they will make efforts there.”

McLaurin is seeking a new deal as he is set to play on the final year of his rookie contract this upcoming season. He’s set to make $2.79M, far below the going rate for top wide receivers.

McLaurin skipped voluntary offseason team workouts in April and May. Then last week, he took it one step further by skipping Washington’s three-day mandatory minicamp. Instead, McLaurin traveled to Florida to continue his workouts. The move made his holdout official. As a result, he is subject to fines that could total over $95K.

Fowler revealed the team hoped to get a deal done last week that could have allowed McLaurin to attend the minicamp’s final practice. But talks were to no avail.

Since being a third-round draft pick in 2019, McLaurin established himself as the Commanders top receiver. He’s led the team in receiving in each of his three seasons. Now going into year four, McLaurin is looking to be compensated for his production. 

After having 913 receiving yards as a rookie, McLaurin had back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons. For a career he has 222 catches, 3,090 receiving yards and 16 touchdown catches. That’s despite having eight different quarterbacks in Washington.

A number of top-level receivers got contract extensions this offseason. In return, the market for wideouts has been reset. Tyreek Hill, Davante Adams, Cooper Kupp, A.J. Brown and Stefon Diggs were the most notable to land new deals.

Hill, Adams and Brown all were traded after talks with their former teams broke down. Hill became the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history with a four-year deal that pays $30M per year. Pundits believe McLaurin’s potential new deal should land somewhere between or ahead the new deals for Brown and Diggs.

Brown, who was in the same draft class as McLaurin, received a four-year, $100M with $57.2M in guarantees. Brown’s deal slightly topped Diggs total of four-year, $96M, however Diggs will receive $70M in guarantees.

McLaurin’s hometown team, the Indianapolis Colts, reportedly checked in on his trade availability but the Commanders are steadfast on keeping him.

Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said “we’re not trading Terry” last week at the team’s mandatory minicamp.

The clock is ticking. The Commanders training camp is scheduled to start July 27. Washington would like to get a deal before then.