Terry McLaurin remains a loggerheads with the Washington Commanders regarding a new deal. Nobody is getting too concerned just yet, but it's in danger of becoming an unwanted distraction with the team's mandatory minicamp on the immediate horizon.
The Commanders want to get something worked out with McLaurin. The second-team All-Pro wideout wants to stay in Washington and continue his role as an exceptional on-field performer and outstanding leader in the locker room. That's positive, but the business side of things is proving complicated.
McLaurin's representatives once again fed information to Jordan Schultz from FOX Sports. The former third-round pick is reportedly frustrated with the lack of progress in negotiations, and there is some debate about whether he'll show up for mandatory minicamp. That's to be determined, but leaking details isn't going to speed things up from the Commanders' standpoint.
Terry McLaurin's frustrations with Commanders are reportedly growing
Albert Breer from Sports Illustrated was another who thought things weren't going as smoothly as many hoped regarding McLaurin's extension during an appearance on 106.7 The Fan. The senior insider acknowledged that things tend to get rocky during negotiations for big-money deals. He also thought the wideout was well within reason to demand around $30 million per year on his last big contract.
I don't think it's in a great place right now. If you ask me where this is, and I think it's just sort of, I hate to say normal course of things, but I do think to some degree these things do get bumpy. I think it's fair of him to ask for something in that range [$30 million per season], just based on where the market's gone.Albert Breer via Newsweek
The latest reports haven't been encouraging. Even so, we are a long way from this becoming something more serious.
Getting a deal worked out before training camp is the primary objective. Having McLaurin absent from the most intense part of preparations would bring negative attention to a team on the rise. Adam Peters is a smart guy who knows what he's doing. He's not one for being backed into a corner, but the front-office leader knows what the end goal is.
That, of course, is tying down one of the team's franchise cornerstones to the organization. Possibly for the rest of his career.
Things aren't looking great right now, according to reports. However, nobody should be pressing the panic button on McLaurin's new deal with so long to go before training camp and Week 1 against the New York Giants.
At the same time, the sooner this matter gets resolved, the better.
