'I'm rooting for Terry' – Another Commanders captain backs McLaurin during his contract stalemate with Washington
Washington Commanders' star wide receiver Terry McLaurin has expressed his frustration about contract discussions with the team, but the locker room has shown full support of the team leader, including another very respected team captain. Veteran tight end Zach Ertz spoke with Kay Adams on the "Up and Adams Show" on Wednesday, and had nothing […]
Washington Commanders' star wide receiver Terry McLaurin has expressed his frustration about contract discussions with the team, but the locker room has shown full support of the team leader, including another very respected team captain.
Veteran tight end Zach Ertz spoke with Kay Adams on the "Up and Adams Show" on Wednesday, and had nothing but high regards for the All-Pro wideout's work ethic.
"I mean, everyone knows Terry's working his butt off, whether he's in the building or not in the building. . .So for me, I'm rooting for Terry."
We've all seen McLaurin show up through the good, the bad, and the ugly, and has solidified himself as a beloved player off the field, and in the locker room as well. There's not a single player or fan that doesn't want to see a deal get done between the Commanders and McLaurin, and lock in the Pro Bowler for the long haul.
Ertz isn't worried about the timeline of a deal getting done
"I'm not privy to the conversations, but what is it? July 16th, the first game is September 7th. There's a lot of time between now and then to get something done. . .Terry is going to do everything he can to be at his best when his best is needed, and fortunately, his best is not needed tomorrow or early next week. It's needed towards the end of training camp, week one."
Bottom line is that McLaurin is a top wide receiver in the NFL, and he technically doesn't need to attend a full training camp to be at his best this season. McLaurin and Jayden Daniels had an historic connection on the field last season, and things were headed in an even better direction this offseason before McLaurin backed away from onfield activites.
Ertz knows that when the time comes to line up on the field and produce, McLaurin will do what he's done since he entered the league, and that's catch touchdowns and elevate the offense.
At the end of the day, this is a business and the players know that
"For me as a player that's gone through contract situations, public contract situations, I appreciate that my teammates weren't out there giving their opinions and everything like that. So I'm not going to come out here and say one thing, one thing or the other"
Football has an ugly side to it, and this is it. People have high pressure jobs, and money is the root of it all. Ertz is entering his 15th season in the league, and knows the cut dry side of the business when it comes to contracts, and negotiations. The locker room is aware of the thought process for both parties in the negotiation.
McLaurin said on Tuesday after his commercial shoot that he's had many conversations with a lot of his teammates, and Ertz joins Jeremy Reaves as the first to publicly show their support. Not a bad group of guys to have voicing his opinion on your work ethic, and how the league works.
Ertz compares McLaurin to another marquee wide receiver he played with
Ertz has played with a ton of all-time great talents throughout his career, but one notable wide receiver stands out when praising McLaurin's demeanor.
"In terms of like number one receivers, there's two guys. AJ Green, which I saw at the end of his career, and Terry McLaurin are the two guys that literally if they had 150 yards or 20 yards, you couldn't tell the difference. . .That speaks volumes about the type of people they are, the type of how they work. Dudes that just want to be great teammates and give everything they can for their guys. Those two I hold in especially high regard."
Everyone wants to see McLaurin at practice when trainging camp starts, but the reality is that both parties could be too far apart for the wideout to want to be on the field and risk an injury. Regardless of what he decides to do next week, the Commanders' locker room has McLaurin's full support, and knows that he will be ready when it's time to go.
Jayden Daniels is most impacted by Terry McLaurin’s contract dilemma, and it’s easy to see why
Washington needs to extend Terry to maximize Jayden’s production and development
