The Washington Commanders are in a bad spot with wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
He is already in the final year of his rookie contract, earning him a base salary of $2.7 million.
Unfortunately, he is not eligible for a fifth-year option because he was selected in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft.
Despite hearing his name called on day two, the former Ohio State standout played like a player worthy of the first round.
After 919 yards in his rookie year, McLaurin had 1,118 and 1,053 in the next two seasons.
He also had 222 receptions and 16 touchdowns in three years.
Those numbers are worthy of a huge contract extension, which Washington is struggling to complete.
Still, McLaurin hasn’t agreed to a second contract with the NFC East squad.
Worst yet, he is putting pressure on the squad by not reporting to a mandatory activity.
#Commanders WR Terry McLaurin won't be at minicamp, source confirms. The two sides will continue discussions to attempt to work out a long-term deal. https://t.co/N7c4AlAfLF
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 13, 2022
NFL Network national insider Ian Rapoport tweeted, “#Commanders WR Terry McLaurin won’t be at minicamp, source confirms. The two sides will continue discussions to attempt to work out a long-term deal.”
He shared this in response to Washington Post writer Nicki Jhabvala who said, “Talks between Commanders & Terry McLaurin’s reps have continued, per sources. While there’s been some progress, they’re still far apart and, as of now (things may change), McLaurin seems unlikely to show for minicamp. He returned to Fla. today to resume training for the season.”
The Surge In The Wide Receiver Market Is Causing The Delay
Both parties could have agreed to a contract if not for the Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams pushing the ceiling of the wideout market.
Adams signed a five-year, $141.25 million deal with the Las Vegas Raiders while Hill agreed to a four-year, $120 million contract with the Miami Dolphins.
McLaurin’s agents likely refer to those deals in hopes of driving their client’s price up.
Meanwhile, the price tag might be too high for Washington and they’re asking McLaurin’s camp to reconsider.
Sadly, the leverage is on the player’s side because he could just leave after the season if no deal is in place.
When that happens, the Commanders won’t get anything in return.
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