The predictable thing to do for the Washington Commanders right now would be to cross their fingers and hope that wide receiver Terry McLaurin can continue to be a reliable top target for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels in 2024.
McLaurin has done solid and sometimes spectacular work throughout his first 5 NFL seasons, including 4 consecutive seasons of at least 1,000 receiving yards.
For the Commanders, knowing the right moment to stop being predictable and not settle for solid and sometimes spectacular is crucial. And that moment is now.
Washington should make a move to trade for Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and lock in a top target for Daniels that could make them one of the best teams in the NFC for years to come.
It would be a costly, bold move for the Commanders that would require signing Chase to a contract extension that would pay him just over $30 million in average annual salary. Spotrac estimates Chase’s current market value at a 3-year contract worth just over $92 million, which seems like a conservative estimate. Chase will likely seek a deal closer to the 4-year, $140 million contract extension signed by his college teammate and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
The trade would also almost certainly also require sending McLaurin to the Bengals, along with the Commanders’ 2025 first-round pick and 2025 third-round pick.
In the NFL, fortune usually favors the bold. This would be an all-time bold move — possibly the biggest trades in franchise history.
“With the start of the 2024 NFL season drawing near, the Bengals are running out of time to get a long-term deal done with one of the bigger stars in franchise history,” Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay wrote on Aug. 20. “While the idea of splitting up Chase and longtime quarterback Joe Burrow may have seemed laughable going into the offseason, there does seem to be at least a chance the organization entertains trade offers rather than risk an extended holdout.”
Chase Could Sit Out Season, Has Sat Out Before
Chase is one of the rare players, regardless of position, who will elevate any team he plays for to contender status. He also has two years left on his contract, which puts him in a precarious situation headed into 2024 and trying to leverage his team into a contract extension.
Chase should have the upper hand — he knows the Bengals can’t make the Super Bowl without him — but Bengals owner Mike Brown has already expressed that he doesn’t want to negotiate a deal until next year. Conversely, former Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on a recent episode of The Adam Schefter Podcast he doesn’t believe Chase will play this season without a new contact.
If the past has told us anything, it’s that Chase is willing to sit out a season if he thinks it’s good for his career. After helping lead LSU to an undefeated season and national championship in 2019, he sat out the entire 2020 season in order to avoid injury and prepare for the 2021 NFL draft, where the Bengals selected him No. 5 overall.
Stats Show Chase is Generational Talent
Through his first three NFL seasons, Chase is a three-time Pro Bowler and earned NFL All-Pro honors. He was named NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year and an NFL All-Pro in 2021 as he helped lead the Bengals to the Super Bowl. Cincinnati also made it to the AFC Championship Game following the 2022 season.
Chase is also the youngest player in NFL history to have multiple games of at least 100 receiving yards in a single postseason. Through his first 3 seasons, Chase has 268 receptions for 3,717 receiving yards and 29 touchdowns.
