There's a new twist in the Commanders-Terry McLaurin standoff and it adds an interesting layer to the whole situation
Training camp has been underway for the Washington Commanders for almost a week now and Terry McLaurin has been a no-show, as pretty much everyone expected.Well, that changed Sunday. Fans that showed up to the first practice were welcomed with a major surprise in the form of a present Terry McLaurin.There's a twist, though. McLaurin […]
Training camp has been underway for the Washington Commanders for almost a week now and Terry McLaurin has been a no-show, as pretty much everyone expected.
Well, that changed Sunday. Fans that showed up to the first practice were welcomed with a major surprise in the form of a present Terry McLaurin.
There's a twist, though. McLaurin was seen working on the sideline with trainers because he was placed on the PUP list. According to Commanders head coach Dan Quinn, it's the same ankle injury from 2024 that's keeping McLaurin from practicing.
"Terry McLaurin has reported and we're very happy about that," Quinn told reporters ahead of Sunday's practice. "He'll start training camp on PUP for his ankle. On the business side, AP and the guys are still working hard with Terry and his rep. While on PUP, just like we do with the other guys, he'll be working with the trainers to get back as soon as he can."
It's an interesting situation, but a positive one. In terms of the positive side of things, McLaurin can't practice, but he can participate in team activities since he's on the active/PUP instead of the reserve/PUP. He's specifically mentioned being away from the team as the hardest part of his holdout and now that's no more.
The intrigue comes from the fact this allows McLaurin to avoid "hold-in" status while the Commanders and his agent work out a deal. ESPN's Adam Schefter reports McLaurin's presence doesn't mean anything in terms of progress, but it does help, as at least McLaurin is involved with the team to an extent and his rep and Peters now have a little bit of momentum to work with.
Terry McLaurin is officially at Commanders Park in Ashburn, Virginia, but that doesn’t mean progress has been made on his contract talks with the team. Still, it’s a positive development after he and Dan Quinn had a productive conversation on Saturday night.Not only does McLaurin now get to participate in team activities, but isn’t getting hit with the $50k fine for each training camp practice that he misses. That also removes a financial burden and stress from the situation, which helps in the grand scheme of things.Overall, when hearing Quinn’s comments about their conversation and the fact McLaurin literally reported the next day, this is a good step, even if there’s still a lot of work to be done. – Josh Taylor, A to Z Washington
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There's also the fact McLaurin participated in OTAs a couple of months ago. If his ankle is affecting him to the point where he goes on PUP, why were the Commanders allowing him to practice? This isn't pointing fingers or accusing the Commanders of mismanagement, by any means. It's a genuine question of curiosity that does hold some weight.
Honestly, it seems like a backdoor handshake deal to get McLaurin in the fold without risking an injury in practice. Basically, it's a "hold-in" without being labeled as such. However, a team can't place a player on PUP if they pass a physical, which means McLaurin didn't pass one and that gives the injury situation legitimacy.
Either way, it's a positive development for both parties and even if it's a small step, it's a step in the right direction.
