Commanders WR Terry McLaurin might need to officially hold out soon

At the time McLaurin reported to Commanders camp and began his PUP stay, the ankle injury listed was not viewed as something that would keep him off the field long. An offering from ESPN’s Adam Schefter indicated McLaurin’s ankle would probably heal rather quickly once a contract was completed. Nearly a week after his activation, however, the disgruntled wideout is not a full participant in practice.

McLaurin is in conditioning mode, per ESPN’s John Keim, as he was present for Commanders 11-on-11 work in a hoodie. The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala notes McLaurin walked onto the practice field after the workout had started and watched the team drills from the sideline. Although obvious signs of a hold-in are present here, the party line centers on the consistent WR’s conditioning.

“I’m not going to play ‘Where’s Waldo’ moving forward,” Dan Quinn said, via the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore. “Just so we’re clear on that. Terry’s return-to-play format is no different from any of the other players. He’s healthy, which is now a good step to getting closer to being back on the field. 

“You’ll see that earlier than later. I don’t have a date circled on a whiteboard in my office. The good news is, we’re getting closer to that, for sure.”

If McLaurin does not return to team drills soon, the seventh-year veteran may need to shift back to a holdout — presuming no deal is finished — as an agreement does not appear imminent. Even if a D.K. Metcalf-level AAV ($33M) is not necessarily McLaurin’s goal, the Commanders are drawing a hard line on age at an interesting point. They would seem to need McLaurin to realize their potential this season, considering how important he has been on offense since arriving in the 2019 third round. After trekking to an NFC Championship Game for the first time in 33 years, Washington will run the risk of losing considerable firepower if McLaurin is willing to sit out games.

The Colts navigated a similar situation in 2023, but Jonathan Taylor‘s injury-driven hold-in never involved coming off the active/PUP list. Indianapolis shifted him to the reserve/PUP list while still negotiating to open the season. Taylor played in Week 5 after signing a new deal. With McLaurin being cleared, his options are limited. A hold-in can still be waged, as Brian Burns attempted to briefly in Carolina just before the 2023 season. Burns, though, backed off that stance and played on his fifth-year option.

McLaurin is due a $15.5M base salary in his contract year, which doubles as an age-30 season. Courtland Sutton finished Broncos negotiations ahead of his age-30 campaign. Sutton carries a similar role in Denver, as the team’s clear-cut WR1, but has inferior statistics to McLaurin. Sutton’s negotiations wrapped at what would be a pay cut ($23M AAV) for McLaurin, who is tied to the $23.2M-per-year deal he agreed to in 2022. Thus, Sutton’s deal does not appear a good comp.

The five-time 1,000-yard receiver could continue to apply pressure to the Commanders via a hold-in or resign himself to beginning a contract year. A compromise could emerge between the $30M-per-year level — where the team is believed to be hesitant to go — and where the Dolphins went for Jaylen Waddle ($28.25M) last year. If the Commanders are not willing to go there on a medium-term pact, the prospect of McLaurin leaving in free agency — or being an experienced wideout on the franchise tag (a la A.J. Green or Allen Robinson) — would enter the equation.