Terry McLaurin’s impasse with the Washington Commanders has reached a point where fans and the organization were hoping to avoid, the dreaded “trade request.”
Let’s take a look at both sides:
Terry McLaurin’s Argument:
Through all the ups and downs of the Daniel Snyder Era, McLaurin was one of the class acts in the building. Despite all of the uncertainty, bad moves, and PR nightmares, he was the consummate professional who produced on the field.
He has five consecutive seasons over 1,000 yards receiving, which includes playing with some bad quarterbacks.
Last season, McLaurin, being paired with Kliff Kingsbury’s offense, showed the league that there was another level for the wide receiver.
Kingbury’s offense helped weaponize rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, and no one benefited more than McLaurin, who had a career-high 13 touchdown catches, and he tied a career-high with 56 receptions for first downs.
There’s no doubt that the Commanders don’t make the run without McLaurin because of the attention he received from defenses, which opened up the playbook. That allowed Kingsbury to avoid the second-half of the season collapses that his offenses showed when he was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
Fans are still mistaken about the position’s worth. It isn’t easy to find someone to manipulate the defense in the ways McLaurin did in this offense, so the answer isn’t as simple as “find another deep threat.”
McLaurin knows that, and that’s why he feels like his worth is based on what he does, specifically the Commanders’ offense. That’s a different discussion from ranking the wide receivers in the league.
It’s why most media outlets feel like McLaurin’s demands fall around what DK Metcalf (annual salary of $30M) is getting despite being two years older than him.
Organization’s Argument:
Washington has a beautiful problem. They had an unexpected season when they organization most needed it. It also served as a shot at Daniel Snyder’s terrorist reign over one of the most loyal fan bases in the NFL.
But sometimes unexpected success brings on a problem. A key play at the end of his deal or a year away from the end wants to be rewarded for the season.
That’s where Adam Peters is with McLaurin.
McLaurin is at a very nice $15.5M price tag at the age of 30. If you believe that wide receivers start losing effectiveness around 31, then it’s a perfect deal on the books. A low-money, high-producing receiver who makes everyone around him better.
The front office is gaining financial certainty without commitment. It allows Washington to come out with plans for next season’s roster with the assumption that they’ll lose McLaurin and replace him with a younger, under $30M/season option. It’s the main reason why, unless a team is willing to “overpay” in assets, there’s no reason for Washington to trade him.
This might be tough to hear for McLaurin and also for fans who are fond of him, but Peters knows if he hits on a replacement receiver, fans will flip and celebrate the “genius” in knowing when the move on from a player.
Takeaway:
In a perfect world, Washington should be able to make a reasonable offer that rewards McLaurin for past performance and current importance without incurring a bloated salary as the inevitable decline begins.
For McLaurin’s camp, an offer like this might not be 100% satisfactory, but it is the best business move. Yes, Tyreek Hill is 31 and is at the $30M mark, but that seems to be the exception and not the rule. Everything after this deal is going to be declining, so being realistic about this one is important.
