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Commanders' Terry McLaurin reportedly wants more money than previously thought
Previous reports indicated that unsettled Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin was looking to land "parts" of the five-year, $150M contract that the Pittsburgh Steelers gave DK Metcalf earlier this year. For an article published on Wednesday morning, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic offered an update regarding why McLaurin and the Commanders haven't come to terms on an extension after the 29-year-old requested a trade on July 31. "One person with knowledge of McLaurin’s contract negotiations said the veteran receiver has asked for more than DK Metcalf," Jhabvala revealed. McLaurin is in the final year of his current deal and will turn 30 years old in September. To compare, Metcalf will turn 28 in December. That said, McLaurin emerged last season as the favorite target for quarterback Jayden Daniels as Daniels guided the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game. "McLaurin believes he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL," Jhabvala added. "He’s been the Commanders' leading receiver every season since he entered the league (in 2019), and last year had the second-most receiving TDs in the league behind Ja’Marr Chase’s 17. He also ranked third in (expected points added) on targets and seventh in catch rate among receivers with at least 100 targets last year, but among that same group, McLaurin’s total receiving yards (1,096) ranked 12th and his average yards after the catch ranked 25th." Daniels seemed optimistic while speaking about the ongoing contract standoff during the ESPN broadcast of Monday's preseason game between the Commanders and Cincinnati Bengals when he said he knew McLaurin would "be coming through the door soon." However, Jhabvala noted that "it wouldn’t be a surprise if the [Commanders have] set a maximum range of $27M to $28M a year in average annual value for McLaurin." That seems to suggest the two sides aren't all that close to coming to terms on an agreement. It's unclear if McLaurin is willing to forfeit money by sitting out Washington's Week 1 game against the New York Giants on Sept. 7 amid his desire for a pay raise. If he isn't, he may have to soon accept the offer that's on the table to guarantee himself future earnings beyond the upcoming season.
Milwaukee Brewers: 1 sleeper candidate if Joey Ortiz misses substantial time
The Milwaukee Brewers are currently awaiting further results as to the status of their starting shortstop Joey Ortiz’s hamstring. He injured his left leg running to first base on Thursday, August 21, which was a separate injury from when his entire right leg went numb a few days ago after he fouled a ball off of his knee. With an MRI pending, the Brewers will soon know the severity of Ortiz’s hamstring injury. If he is forced to miss substantial time, which is generally likely with this kind of soft tissue injury, then Milwaukee may soon be exploring ways to re-align and re-enforce their infield without their gold glove caliber shortstop. Here, we take a look at one sleeper candidate the Brew Crew may utilize if Ortiz is forced to miss substantial time. Raynel Delgado is having a tremendous season in the minor leagues 25 year old infielder Raynel Delgado was signed to a minor league contract with the Brewers last November and is enjoying another great season in Triple-A. Last year, at the Cleveland Guardians Triple-A affiliate, Delgado slashed .275/.365/.426 with 22 stolen bases and just a 24% strikeout rate while walking 11% of the time. This year has been more of the same, with a .271/.348/.370 slash line, 33 stolen bases, 21% strikeout rates, and 9% walk rate. Where would Delgado fit on the Milwaukee Brewers active roster? If the Brewers were going to promote Delgado in Ortiz’s presumed absence, second base would likely be where he lands, but he has played third base, shortstop, and the outfield this season. A move like this, would likely shift Brice Turang over to shortstop for the short term. A corresponding 40-man roster move would have to be made if Delgado was selected to join the Brewers. Taking Oliver Dunn’s spot is one possibility, as he has struggled mightily in his second season with the organization. With Ortiz potentially going to be sidelined, the Brewers will need to get creative to fill the void in the infield. Whether it’s moving Brice Turang to shortstop, promoting a versatile player like Delgado, or leaning on internal depth with someone like Monasterio, the club has options. With a playoff push in full swing, it will be interesting to see which direction Milwaukee goes and who ultimately gets the call to help hold down the fort should Ortiz miss time.
Jameis Winston's Nickname For Giants Quarterbacks Appears to Exclude Russell Wilson
The New York Giants played their third preseason game of the year on Thursday night. They easily handled the New England Patriots, blowing them out 42-10. The Giants are now undefeated this preseason, holding a record of 3-0, following victories over the Buffalo Bills, the New York Jets, and now the Patriots. While everything has looked great on the field for the Giants this preseason, averaging just over 35 points per game in their three victories, there appears to be a handful of tough decisions the franchise will have to make before the regular season kicks off. One decision assuredly near the top of that list will be the handling of their currently crowded, quarterback depth chart. As of Thursday night, the Giants are carrying Russell Wilson, Jameis Winston, Jaxson Dart, and Tommy DeVito on their roster. How Many Quarterbacks Will Make Giants Roster? While Wilson did not see the field during Thursday's game, he remains listed as the No. 1 QB on the Giants latest unofficial depth chart. Winston is listed as No. 2, Dart as the No. 3, and DeVito is listed as the No. 4. This has led many to ask if the Giants will carry four QBs as they near the final cutdown to their official 53-man roster in preparation for Week 1 of the regular season. The deadline for this cutdown is looming over every NFL team's head, as it will show itself on August 26. Winston, who was the first QB brought in during free agency this offseason by the Giants, appears as comfortable as ever, as he has been everywhere he's played during his 10-year career. Following the Giants victory on Thursday, Winston broke out a camera, filming himself alongside Dart and DeVito, revealing the nickname he's coined for the trio. While it's evident Winston is getting along swimmingly with his other QBs, the nickname "The Three Amigos" appears to exclude QB No. 1, Wilson. "They call us the three amigos," Winston said. Winston would go on to compliment DeVito, who threw for three touchdowns against the Patriots, while also pointing out the Giants continue winning with their young QBs. "Somebody had the hat trick today. We eat Ws with the young bucks. You know what time it is. Go big blue!" There have been no reported rifts or issues between Wilson and any of the other QBs on the Giants roster, solely speculation that Wilson won't be the long-term answer at QB for the Giants. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, is one of the NFL reporters who has suggested Wilson could be traded to make room for Dart as the No. 1 QB. Florio made the suggestion earlier this week that Wilson could be a trade target of the Cowboys. The QB situation for the Giants should become more clear following the final 53-man roster-cutdown. Until then, the world will continue to enjoy Winston's hilarious antics.
Blackhawks make gargantuan commitment to young forward
The Blackhawks have officially announced a seven-year extension for pending RFA forward Frank Nazar. The deal will pay him an AAV and cap hit of $6.59M for a total value of $46.13M. It’s a gargantuan commitment to the 21-year-old Nazar considering his lack of NHL experience. The 2022 No. 13 overall pick lands the richest total-value contract in league history for someone with 56 or fewer career appearances, which is Nazar’s tally entering the 2025-26 campaign. Nazar, who still has one year left on his entry-level contract before his extension will kick in for 2026-27, has yet to spend an entire season on the NHL roster. Last year was his first full run in the pros after two years at the University of Michigan, but he made his NHL debut in the final three games of 2023-24 after signing his ELC. He did not make the Blackhawks’ opening night roster but, after recording 11 goals and 24 points in 21 games for AHL Rockford, was recalled in mid-December shortly after Chicago’s coaching change and never looked back. He faltered out of the gate, recording only one assist and a -5 rating through his first 10 appearances while averaging 14:44 of ice time per game. But under interim head coach Anders Sörenson, who had overseen his early-season success in Rockford, he was extended some patience. That paid off in the long run as Nazar built confidence, including a four-game point streak in January and a run of nine points in eight games in April to end the season. All told, Nazar finished the season with a 12-14–26 scoring line 53 games — ninth on the team — and averaged nearly 16 minutes per game. While size concerns (5-foot-10, 190 pounds) created some detractors about his ability to hold down his natural center position in the NHL, he saw a fair amount of time as Chicago’s second-line middleman behind Connor Bedard. His most common deployment (107 minutes) amid an astronomical 91 different line combinations used by the Hawks last year was at 2C between Tyler Bertuzzi and Teuvo Teräväinen, although he did also see some time up on Bedard’s wing. Nazar was seen as a top-10 threat in the 2022 class, but after slipping to Chicago and missing most of his freshman year at Michigan due to injury, there were warranted doubts about his development path. He silenced them quickly with a point-per-game sophomore showing for the Wolverines and has made about as good an adjustment to pro hockey as can be expected, given the lack of quality veteran support on the Hawks’ NHL roster. A long-term bet at what’s even now a conservative second-line price point in 2025 could pay incredible dividends for the Blackhawks if he remains a long-term top-six piece, even if it’s on the wing, as the cap increases and they reward the other pieces of their young core with long-term deals. There’s also an incredible risk factor for someone still relatively early on their development track with less than a full season’s worth of NHL experience. The only recent comparable for someone with his experience is Wild superstar Kirill Kaprizov, who signed a five-year, $45M contract after his rookie season (55 GP). Kaprizov, however, had far more professional experience after coming up through Russia’s KHL and was two years older than Nazar is now, making him a more projectable player. Kaprizov also took home the Calder Trophy that year and had twice the offensive output Nazar did. As such, the Blackhawks are betting hard on Nazar being a long-term solution, either as a wingman for Bedard or as a second-line center behind him. There’s certainly reason for optimism – he’s developed well and is coming off a spectacular World Championship showing with the United States that earned him a spot at their Olympic orientation camp. He’ll be under contract through the 2032-33 season and can walk to unrestricted free agency upon expiry. Getting Nazar’s extension out of the way now isn’t just about him, though. Chicago has two other big-ticket RFAs next summer — Bedard and new No. 1 goalie Spencer Knight — who will take serious resources to extend. They still have barely over $40M in allocated cap hits for 2026-27, though, leaving them with virtually unlimited spending power under a projected $104M cap. Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet first reported the Blackhawks were signing Nazar to a seven-year extension. Bleacher Report’s Frank Seravalli reported a more accurate cap hit in the $6.6M range.
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