Will the Washington Commanders give Terry McLaurin a contract extension? That’s the question surrounding the team, and one NFL writer is baffled by the stance the team has taken by not rewarding their veteran wide receiver.
CBS Sports’ Tyler Sullivan was on CBS Sports HQ and spoke about the latest surrounding McLaurin and his contract situation. For Sullivan, it’s puzzling that the Commanders haven’t extended McLaurin, as trading him would weaken the team and force Deebo Samuel Sr. to shoulder the No. 1 target duties.
“If they do decide to trade away Terry McLaurin, because Deebo Samuel has a lot of tread on his tires as well, he would suddenly be your No. 1 wide receiver, and I just don’t know if he holds up,” Sullivan said. “Beyond that, I don’t know what else there is that could really take this offense to the next level for Jayden Daniels in Year 2.
“So I think the Commanders are painting themselves into a corner here. It’s either you move off your star wide receiver and get worse as a football team, or you pay him and continue your ascent. It seems like an easy decision to me, but they haven’t done it so far, so we’ll see what happens.”
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Last season, McLaurin was Jayden Daniels’ favorite target, with the rookie quarterback helping him reach a career-high 13 touchdowns. Given the strong chemistry they showed, it doesn’t make much sense to take away the franchise quarterback’s go-to receiver.
McLaurin has requested a trade, and it will be interesting to see if the Commanders decide to accommodate that request or if that’s part of the negotiations.
Nonetheless, if Washington’s passing attack doesn’t look right in the preseason or in the early part of the season, perhaps the Commanders hold onto him and try to convince him to play this season and leave as an unrestricted free agent.
Still, with the risk of a potential injury affecting him, McLaurin has to think about himself, so it will be interesting to see how this contract saga plays out.
