Terry McLaurin remains inactive at Washington Commanders training camp as he seeks a contract extension before entering the final year of his deal.
The 29-year-old receiver earned his first All-Pro selection in 2024, but has issued a trade request from the team he's spent his entire career with as this slow-moving negotiation has continued.
There haven't been many positive remarks from either McLaurin or the Commanders organization regarding this impasse, and the latest report from ESPN isn't much better.
On "Get Up", insider Jeremy Fowler explained how the Commanders and their star wideout are in "a classic standoff", with the gap between them seemingly increasing by the day.
They have been far apart," Fowler said, via Bleacher Report. "...[McLaurin] has wanted metrics of the DK Metcalf contract, which is $32M. I'm told the Washington Commanders have only been slightly above where he was before, which is $23M. So take that gap, that's $7M to 8M that they have to bridge."
McLaurin is set to accrue a $25 million cap hit this season, but has held firm his desire for a raise. This sticks the Commanders in a tough spot as they would like to keep their star pass-catcher, but he isn't budging on what they likely deem is a fair offer compared to the rest of the market.
It's not a reach to defend McLaurin for wanting to rise into the top tier of wide receivers by compensation, but at his age, it's a risk that Washington is obviously hesitating on.
McLaurin is two years older than Metcalf and three years older than Tee Higgins, who rakes in nearly $28 million as a WR2 from the Cincinnati Bengals. Comparing age, production and projected contract value, McLaurin aligns best with players like Courtland Sutton ($23 million APY) and Mike Evans ($20.5 million a year). Spotrac's $24.5 projected APY for McLaurin puts him closer to Calvin Ridley and Chris Godwin. But obviously these salaries fall short of "Scary Terry's" asking price.
In the meantime ... the phone lines have been "burning up" since his trade request, per NFL Network. The longer this plays out, the more you start to question if Washington is considering a move because McLaurin is too hard to move off this financial request.
As this standoff persists, ESPN's John Keim noted that the Commanders offense noticeably missed having McLaurin's production on the field in their joint practice Wednesday with the New England Patriots, referencing a lack of explosiveness and no real threat on the boundary.
The six-year vet has been a focal point of Washington's pass game since his rookie season. In each of the last five seasons, McLaurin has totaled at least 1,000 receiving yards and 70 receptions. In a new-look receiving corps with newcomer Deebo Samuel in the fold, McLaurin's reliable presence is crucial in the Commanders seeing similar success as they're 12-win campaign in 2024.
This much is obvious to both sides, but it might come down to who blinks first to decide how this dispute ends.
