Adam Schefter upset Washington fans with one tweet Monday morning. Schefter reported that Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel and Tennessee’s A.J. Brown were “not expected to participate in their teams’ on-field off-season programs because they want new contracts.”
Immediately, Commanders fans took that as McLaurin was holding out and would skip all offseason activities. Schefter immediately clarified, noting that McLaurin, “as a team leader,” would report to Washington’s offseason program, which began Monday, but would skip all on-field workouts which start after the 2022 NFL draft.
“As a team leader.” Those four words tell you everything you need to know about McLaurin.
As a team leader, Terry McLaurin still will be reporting to the team’s off-season program that opens today while his contract situation remains unresolved, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 18, 2022
We know McLaurin deserves to be paid. We’ve discussed it in this space numerous times. McLaurin is a phenomenal football player who has far outplayed his original rookie deal, which paid him just over $5 million for four years.
On the field, McLaurin has caught 222 passes for 1,090 yards and 16 touchdowns through three seasons — with eight different quarterbacks. Imagine the numbers McLaurin could’ve produced with consistent quarterback play?
But, McLaurin is worth more to Washington than just being the team’s top offensive player. When the team announced its rebrand earlier this year, McLaurin was one of three players who were prominently featured on billboards and in the new jerseys, along with Jonathan Allen and Chase Young.
When Rivera took over before the 2020 season, he mentioned changing the culture. Rivera always talks about changing the culture. And he is correct. No team in the NFL needed a culture change more than the Washington Commanders. We see a new story breaking weekly about the team’s alleged involvement in past scandals, taking away from any positive developments on the field.
Yet, here is McLaurin, quietly working hard and always putting his team first. This is the most important time in McLaurin’s career, as he is about to become one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL, yet he understands the team comes first.
That doesn’t sound like a guy who wants to leave Washington, does it?
McLaurin, much like Allen, is a player who is committed to turning the Commanders around. Making Washington an ideal free-agent destination once again and giving a new generation of fans hope while showing old, disenchanted fans it’s ok to root for the Commanders despite the owner’s numerous misdeeds.
No one would’ve blamed McLaurin if he didn’t show up in Ashburn until the mandatory minicamp. In fact, it would’ve been smart. Why risk any type of injury before you get paid? So, sure, McLaurin may skip the on-field portion of the offseason program, but him just showing up for the voluntary workouts is one of the many reasons why McLaurin is so important to the Commanders.
Washington must come to McLaurin with a strong initial offer. He’s not the type of player you lowball. Because if Washington somehow botches the McLaurin negotiations, how would the Commanders expect any of their top free agents to re-sign in the future? What would players like Montez Sweat and Young think if the Commanders lowballed McLaurin and forced another franchise tag? If you aren’t going to pay McLaurin, who will you pay?
These next few months are critical for Washington. I believe head coach Ron Rivera and the front office understand McLaurin’s impact on and off the field and will do everything to get a deal done that makes McLaurin happy. If that happens, I believe McLaurin re-signs with little drama.
You hear talk on social media of a possible trade. No one wants that outcome. You can’t trade Terry McLaurin. You pay him. You keep him. You allow him to be an example for future Commanders.
