For the Washington Commanders, there should be no offseason priority greater than reaching an extension with their top receiving threat, Terry McLaurin.
The 2019 third-round pick is entering the fourth and final season of his rookie contract at an ideal time, with the wide receiver market exploding this offseason after new deals for Christian Kirk (4 years, $72MM), Davante Adams (5 years, $140MM) and Tyreek Hill (4 years, $120MM) — all with new teams.
New details from Ben Standig in The Athletic help shape a portrait of how contract negotiations with McLaurin could play out this summer, along with how expectations should be set accordingly.
According to Standig, "sources on both sides anticipate intensified extension talks for McLaurin starting around or after the NFL Draft (April 28-30) while pointing toward a June or July resolution." Standig notes that, last summer, Washington reached an agreement on a new deal with defensive tackle Jonathan Allen only minutes before training camp began in late July.
Commanders head coach Ron Rivera is preaching patience, telling The Athletic, "I think the biggest thing is just (telling) everybody patience."
"We've got plenty of time," he said.
Be that as it may, time will only be on Washington's side for another several months. If the Commanders don't strike before training camp, the math will most assuredly work against them and with compounding interest. Going into another offseason with no deal in place would bring them into franchise tag territory, or worse, at risk of losing McLaurin.
OverTheCap.com projects the franchise tag for receivers to land around $20.1 million in 2023. And while that may seem like a bargain for the time, bear in mind that's only for a one-year accord. Another year later and the receiver market — that's already exploding — could look drastically different.
Currently the four highest-paid receivers in the league all average more than that in average annual salary, with Hill as the ceiling ($30MM/annually) and Carolina's D.J. Moore as the floor ($20.628MM). Moore just signed a three-year, $61.8 million extension in March, at a number that could fit what the Commanders hope to reach with McLaurin.
JP Finlay recently mused about a potential McLaurin extension, saying he thinks Washington eventually gets a deal done with its former third-round pick in the range of $21 million per season. Though, as Rivera reminds, that will require patience. Like with Allen in 2021, Finlay doesn't expect that moment to come until late July.
Interestingly, Rivera told Standig that, while no teams have reached out about a possible trade for McLaurin, the Commanders "wouldn't entertain it" even if they did.
The Commanders are posturing as if McLaurin is theirs and theirs alone. And that's fine, so long as they put their money where their mouth is come July.
Read Standig's full article in The Athletic.
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