Terry McLaurin trade request: Dan Quinn reacts to Washington Commanders star WR demand

Terry McLaurin requested a trade from the Washington Commanders earlier this week. According to Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, McLaurin let him know about the request personally before the news broke.

Quinn expressed his appreciation for McLaurin keeping him in the know. However, reports before the request state that Washington wants the star wideout on the team for years to come. Quinn’s most recent statement to the media addressing McLaurin’s demands follows this theme.

“We love Terry, really glad he’s here. Hopefully he’s out there practicing soon,” Quinn told reporters on Saturday morning. “And we also understand there’s a business side of this thing. There are things that Adam (Peters) his side, Terry and his reps are working through. We recognize both are happening.

McLaurin is entering the final year of a three-year, $68.4 million contract. Naturally, the former Ohio State wideout feels that he is due for a major raise. After all, his $15.5 million base salary for the 2025 season is about half of what the top WRs in the market are worth.

Dealing with an ankle injury, McLaurin held out of training camp for the first four days before reporting last weekend. Instead of holding out, he’s now holding in. The Commanders have played him on the Physically Unable to Perform list (PUP) to start camp.

He was racking up $50,000 fines per day for being away from the team. Now that he’s been on site at training camp, the fines stop. The assumption was that contract negotiations would resume, however, these talks appear to have broken down based on Friday’s trade request.

Quinn confirmed this issue isn’t something impacting the team’s morale. It’s business as usual in Washington as McLaurin’s future with the franchise hangs in the balance.

“I love coaching him, but the business side, that’s kind of where it’s at,” Quinn continued. “Somebody asked me if it’s a distraction. It is not. The players today are more aware of contracts and things, maybe, than they used to be and they recognize that business part happens as well.

“So for the team, we’re just rocking and going and throwing some great practices for Terry. And you know, the trade requests, like, man, that’s part of normal business that’s happening around the NFL. It’s normal. We understand it.”

Whether McLaurin plays the 2025 season in Washington or elsewhere remains to be seen. Only time will tell if a deal gets made before the Commanders kick off its season against the New York Giants in Week 1.