Commanders' Terry McLaurin holds out, history says it's worthwhile

ASHBURN, VA – Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin may discover holding out pays off, but only marginally.

The Commanders veteran didn’t report to mandatory minicamp on Tuesday, becoming an official holdout. McLaurin wants to renegotiate his contract with one year remaining.

“Sometimes football and business intersect,” coach Dan Quinn said. “This is one of those times. Terry is a fantastic teammate."

McLaurin joins some legendary Washington players who have held out for more money. Most did only marginally better while the most infamous one was a big loss.

Running back John Riggins missed the 1980 season after seeking to re-negotiate his $300,000 deal. New coach Joe Gibbs convinced Riggins to return to the 1981 minicamp with a caveat the dispute would go to arbitration. Riggins wanted $500,000 for his final year plus $300,000 back pay for 1980.

Unfortunately for Riggins, he lost arbitration and played for $300,000 with no back pay. After leading Washington to the 1983 NFL title, Riggins later held out three weeks during 1985 training camp before the team buckled. Riggins earned $875,000 that season.

After winning the 1991 Super Bowl, four key members held out the following training camp, prompting owner Jack Kent Cooke to call one a bloody idiot. Ultimately, all four deals finished with compromises.

Quarterback Mark Rypien’s 23-day holdout earned a three-year, $9 million deal with $1 million in incentives.

Offensive tackle Jim Lachey, cornerback Darrell Green and receiver Desmond Howard all reported on Aug, 26 at camp’s end.

Lachey wanted $2 million annually as the NFL’s best left tackle while the team countered with $1.1 million. He signed for $4 million over three years.

Green wanted $2 million annually that would have made him the NFL’s highest defensive player. He signed for $4.5 million over three years.

Howard wanted $2.4 million for four years, about $1 million more than the team offered. Howard received $6 million over four years with a $2.85 million signing bonus.

First-round picks were often holdouts before the NFL slotting system in the 1990s made negotiations easier. Quarterback Heath Shuler held out seven days in 1994 while receiver Michael Westbrook missed 14 days.

In 2019, left tackle Trent Williams missed 2019 mostly over a medical dispute that was later diagnosed as cancer. Williams was later traded to San Francisco with two years remaining on his contract.

Maybe McLaurin hits a payday, but with his 30th birthday approaching in September, the team is reluctant to hand out a long-term deal. General manager Adam Peters worked for San Francisco before taking over Washington last year. The 49ers are known for long contract talks before settling around the opening of training camp. If McLaurin doesn’t sign by minicamp’s end on Wednesday, he’ll likely wait until late July for training camp’s opening, too.

All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.