Washington Commanders' lack of communication with Terry McLaurin may have cost the team more money
Terry McLaurin spoke publicly for the first time about his frustration with the Washington Commanders regarding a new extension, and added that the team hasn't spoken to him in a month or provided any updates.In the meantime, the rest of the league continues to make massive deals with their own players, and a fellow marquee […]
Terry McLaurin spoke publicly for the first time about his frustration with the Washington Commanders regarding a new extension, and added that the team hasn't spoken to him in a month or provided any updates.
In the meantime, the rest of the league continues to make massive deals with their own players, and a fellow marquee wide receiver may have cost Washington more money thanks to his new deal.
The New York Jets handed wide receiver Garrett Wilson a four-year, $130 million contract extension that could certainly impact how Washington approaches McLaurin's new deal. McLaurin spoke on the fellow Buckeye's big payday and how it could possibly influence his contract while voicing his disappointment with the team.
"First of all, Garrett Wilson deserves what he was paid," told reporters after a commercial shoot. "I know I'm a little biased being a Buckeye, but he's a great player, and he brings a lot to his team, and he's fought through adversity as well."
McLaurin knows that every situation is different, but also sees similarities between himself and Wilson, especially with producing on losing teams for a majority of their careers.
"He's different than I am, but at the end of the day, what top receivers are compensated in today's NFL, wide receiver 1s, I feel like I'm that, and I feel like that has displayed itself."
How Garrett Wilson's deal helps McLaurin's camp
This is likely McLaurin's last major contract of his career, and his camp needs to maximize what he gets, and what he's worked hard for. Before Wilson's extension, there's a good chance McLaurin would've been fine with a deal averaging closer to $30 million. Now, it's not unreasonable for him to try and match or surpass Wilson's $32.5 million per year extension.
McLaurin's camp can compare the similarities between Wilson and McLaurin as certified WR1s on their teams with similar production numbers on mediocre teams throughout their careers, and not their age.
If negotiations are being based off of numbers, then Terry McLaurin's numbers on the stat sheet should show Washington what he's worth. If age is the biggest factor, then McLaurin's camp can prove that there are no signs of slowing down, as he literally outraced the Lions' entire defense while taking a screen pass 58-yards to the house in the playoffs.
"There's not a lot of tread on my tires," said McLaurin. "This is the first year we made a deep playoff run, you know what I mean? And I've been extremely healthy through all of that. And so, I'm not under the understanding that 30 just applies to me. I'm not dismissing that completely, you know? I mean, there are data points to support that, but how come it's not okay to honor and say, 'Okay, this may be a different case and based on what he's proven to show no signs of deterioration.'
"Like, you know, I feel like that should be acknowledged as well, and so I, in general, you hope that there's a case-by-case basis and not a group thinking of, 'Hey, this is his age group and they fit in this age group, so this how we're going to treat them.' I don't think that's quite right."
How the Wilson deal affects Washington's side of negotiations
Washington knows McLaurin turns 30 in September and can use Wilson's new deal to show his camp what a younger receiver is getting in the current market. That can help move the needle closer to its side. There aren't a lot of contracts in the NFL to compare McLaurin's situation to due to his age and his production, so the team needs to use what it can to get its leverage, even if it's a 24-year-old's first major extension.
DK Metcalf is probably the closest comparison with his new deal in Pittsburgh at $33 million a year, but he's still two years younger than McLaurin. The data says Father Time never loses, and Washington likely wants to protect itself long-term with a favorable contract at his age. The market is what it is, and age drags the value down no matter who you are. It's just the business side of the NFL.
It's obvious the Commanders need to stop dragging their feet
No matter which side you're on, the idea of failing to extend McLaurin isn't good for either side. The Commanders risk not only hampering Jayden Daniels development (to an extent), but the optics with the fanbase will suffer too, as McLaurin is beloved both in the locker room and throughout the DMV.
And then on the flip side, McLaurin is invested in the community and even made it "abundantly clear" that he wants this to work out in the long run. There's a world where the team could've gotten a deal done for less than $32.5 million per year, but that seems a lot less likely after the Wilson extension.
Washington has taken it's time getting a deal done, especially considering there hasn't been any updates with McLaurin in the last month, and the teams continue to move on with massive contract extensions around the league which increases the price for a premier player as the season approaches. This needs to change, sooner rather than later, before it costs them even more.
