NFL Insider believes Terry McLaurin’s standoff with the Commanders is about to end

The Washington Commanders kick off the regular season against their divisional rival New York Giants in a little over three weeks. 

Anybody that’s been monitoring the Commanders offense during training camp understands Washington needs to have Terry McLaurin on the field and ready to play as the team starts the new season. 

McLaurin — who is entering the final year of his contract — has been sitting out of team activities as his agent tries to reach an extension for the Commanders top wide receiver. 

The Washington No. 1 WR is set to make roughly $18 million in 2025, and with a surge in the market for the league’s top pass catchers and players like DK Metcalf inking a deal in Pittsburgh that pays him $33 million annually, it’s easy to see why McLaurin feels he’s underpaid. 

The biggest question mark is surrounding the amount of money McLaurin and his agent are requesting vs. the raise the Commanders are willing to give him. Based on how slow the negotiations have been and McLaurin officially requesting a trade, it’s been clear the two sides haven’t been close. 

Yahoo NFL Insider Charles Davis gave a surprising report about the initial offer from McLaurin’s camp to the team on a podcast earlier this week. 

“And I think, I think what happened, the way I understand it is, you know, when negotiations first opened, I think the Commanders were a little stunned by initially what Terry McLaurin and his camp were really gunning for,” Davis said. 

Davis then alluded that the request from McLaurin’s camp was so egregious it almost completely broke down talks between the two sides. 

“So I think everyone's being careful about not saying what the initial number was, but I will say it was high enough that it almost completely broke down conversation instantaneously between the two parties,,” Davis added. 

It’s hard to envision McLaurin requesting to be paid like CeeeDee Lamb or Justin Jefferson in the 35k+ tier of receivers, but it isn’t unrealistic if he wanted a similar contract to Metcalf, who came from the same draft class and hasn’t produced as consistently. 

The major sticking point? Metcalf is only 27-years-old, while McLaurin turns 30 in September. There is well-documented data that shows many of the top receivers in recent NFL history have had a major drop off after turning 30, from DeAndre Hopkins to Davante Adams. 

McLaurin became a hold-in and was placed on the physically unable to perform list with an apparent ankle injury suffered last season, though he participated in spring workouts. By reporting, McLaurin could no longer be fined $50,000 per day,” ESPN’s John Keim explained.

“Both sides have remained firm in their stances. For Washington, the fact that McLaurin will turn 31 when an extension begins has been a key factor. But he was drafted in the same 2019 class as DK Metcalf and has been equally productive. After getting traded to the Steelers this offseason, Metcalf signed a contract worth $33 million per year with $60 million guaranteed. That deal has served as a guide for McLaurin's demands,” ESPN staff wrote.

But earlier this week, a league source shared with Keim that the two sides could be closer to a deal and a resolution could be in sight with the two sides potentially agreeing on an extension that would pay McLaurin $28 million per year. 

“I don’t think they want to go above $28 million,” Keim said. “But I do think to get this done, I’ll say Adam Peters is not talking about this, so you piece things together. Could I see it getting there, yes. I think if you want to get it done, that’s where they would have to get to. And I think that’s what Terry and his side would have to go down to, They are not going up to his number.”