ASHBURN, Va. -- Chants of "Terry! Terry!" rang out from Washington Commanders fans looking for an autograph as wide receiver Terry McLaurin bounded out of the team's facility. Before he signed, McLaurin walked to the field, greeted several teammates and hugged quarterback Jayden Daniels' mother, Regina Jackson, as well as owner Josh Harris. Both men were smiling.
McLaurin then signed autographs and posed for pictures for 45 minutes. He even got one toddler to stop crying long enough for him to sign her hat.
He looked happy and ready to play. His mood mirrored what the Commanders have, for weeks now, insisted about him: They love McLaurin.
Since that day at the Commanders' facility two weeks ago, however, the mood has changed as McLaurin -- entering the final season of a three-year deal he signed in 2022 -- and Washington remain at an impasse on a possible contract extension for Daniels' No. 1 target. McLaurin has voiced his frustration, held out, held in (technically, he was placed on the physically unable to perform list with an ankle injury) and, finally -- on July 31 -- requested a trade. Nothing has boosted momentum toward a deal, and with the season approaching and Washington hoping to build on a breakout 2024, the question is why.
One league source said he could see the Commanders eventually agreeing to pay $28 million per year -- but would that be enough? According to various reports and multiple sources, DK Metcalf's contract has served as a guide for McLaurin -- though whether that's in terms of average per year ($33 million) or total guarantees ($60 million) remains uncertain. McLaurin and Metcalf were in the same draft class and have comparable NFL statistics.
"Whatever happens along the way," Commanders general manager Adam Peters said last month, "just understand he's a great player and we want to keep him here."
Here's why the two sides remain so far apart:
Age
This likely remains the biggest sticking point because it frames the argument for Washington. McLaurin will turn 30 on Sept. 15, which means he'd be 31 when an extension begins.
The Commanders rely heavily on analytics, and the numbers aren't kind to receivers at that age. According to ESPN Research, over the past five seasons only three receivers 31 years or older have played at least 10 games and averaged 70-plus receiving yards per game; six have averaged 60-plus.
A handful of notable receivers saw a drop-off in the season after turning 31. Julio Jones went from 96.2 yards per game to 39.5; DeAndre Hopkins from 77.9 to 50.5, A.J. Green from 80.2 to 34.2 and Andre Johnson from 79.1 to 63.8.
McLaurin has averaged 65.8 yards per game since entering the NFL as a third-round pick. His numbers might have been held back by subpar quarterbacking in his first five seasons, but last year, with Daniels, he posted his third-lowest average yardage per game (64.5) -- in part because of the rookie's ability to spread the ball around.
Still, McLaurin finished with a career-best 13 touchdowns in 2024, including 10 in the red zone. Both numbers were second highest in the NFL behind the Cincinnati Bengals' Ja'Marr Chase (17 TDs).
McLaurin's counter to the age concern is that he is entering only his seventh season and didn't play a lot during his first two years at Ohio State. Jones (ninth year), Hopkins (10th), Johnson (ninth) and Green (eighth) all deeper into their careers, so the mileage on McLaurin's legs isn't as heavy. He has also been durable, playing in 73 straight NFL games, including the postseason, since 2020 and has never had a major surgery.
One former NFL receiver said what slowed him down post-30 was the accumulation of surgeries. But with age, he said, comes wisdom -- the ability to read defenses quicker which allows a wideout to win on a route better.
"I'm not dismissing [age] completely," McLaurin said last month. "There are data points to support that but how come it's not OK to say this may be a different case, and based on what he's proven, showing no signs of deterioration, I feel that should be acknowledged as well.
"People [are] making it seem like I need to start getting fitted for a walker and a cane."
But teams don't pay older receivers the same as they do younger ones. According to Spotrac, of the 24 active receivers guaranteed the most money, only one -- Miami's Tyreek Hill -- was 30 or older upon signing. However, Hill had just turned 30 following consecutive seasons of more than 1,700 receiving yards.
"Once they hit 30, more times than not the money is more than the production," one former NFL executive said before adding that McLaurin's game should age well.
Precedent
During a 30-minute media conference last month, McLaurin highlighted his first five seasons in Washington -- four of which were under previous owner Dan Snyder. McLaurin was the face of the franchise, often getting asked about off-field topics such as the multiple investigations into Snyder and the team over its toxic workplace culture and its financial dealings.
McLaurin also played with 11 different starting quarterbacks in his six NFL seasons, producing 1,000 yards in each of the past five. He has never topped 1,200 yards but has been consistent and is coming off his second Pro Bowl.
Washington, however, doesn't want to pay McLaurin for past performance, according to league sources. Instead, the franchise is trying to pay him based on how it thinks he'll produce at ages 31, 32 and 33.
The Commanders also have several key players up for extensions next offseason, and Daniels, potentially, after that. Left tackle Laremy Tunsil and linebacker Frankie Luvu headline the 2026 group. Both could be in line for big raises.
If cornerback Marshon Lattimore rebounds from an injury-plagued season, he could be in line for an extension as well. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel would be a free agent after this season, but if he produces, he could be another veteran the team wants to re-sign.
As those potential deals loom, Washington doesn't want to set a precedent with McLaurin of paying what it perceives to be too much.
Washington has 44 players under contract for 2026 -- the fewest in the NFL. The Commanders have 32 players signed through 2027, which is the second fewest. In other words, they're going to have to spend to fill spots. Peters has told people his goal isn't just to build a roster that could win a Super Bowl in the current window -- with Daniels on a rookie contract -- it's to build one to win every year.
Leverage
Washington needs McLaurin on the field. He was Daniels' favorite downfield target: The quarterback averaged 13.4 air yards per attempt to McLaurin, and six of his 12 passes that gained 30 yards or more went to the wideout. Daniels posted a 90.6 quarterback rating (on the 100 scale) when targeting McLaurin.
"He's the heartbeat of the team," said one NFL assistant coach who spent time in Washington during McLaurin's tenure.
All of this provides leverage for McLaurin. It's no secret that Washington is better with him on the field. The Commanders don't have another receiver like him on their roster.
However, the Commanders have leverage of their own: McLaurin is under contract this season. If the two sides can't reach an agreement, he will have to play or forfeit his weekly game checks for each missed game. Based on his salary of $15.5 million, that would cost him $861,111 per week. He also gets a $50,000 roster bonus each week (in addition to having already received a $2.8 million roster bonus on the fifth day of the new league year in March). Washington could then franchise-tag him for 2026 if it wants -- at a cost of as much as $30.4 million -- or allow him to test the market to fully gauge his value.
McLaurin's options then become (A) avoid risk and take a deal that could have between $50 million to $60 million in guaranteed money and average around $28 million per year or (B) bet on himself for a possible bigger payday after the season.
If the figure does hit $28 million per year with the right guarantees, will McLaurin risk passing that up for a potential bigger payday in the next offseason?
When it comes to Metcalf's contract with Pittsburgh, the Steelers needed to sign him to an extension because they traded for him. That gave Metcalf leverage. He's also two years younger.
Metcalf has caught 438 career passes for 6,324 yards, averaging 65.2 yards per game. He's scored 48 touchdowns and posted three 1,000 yards seasons. McLaurin has caught 460 passes for 6,379 yards and 38 touchdowns with five 1,000-yard seasons.
Denver, meanwhile, signed Courtland Sutton to a four-year contract last month that averaged $23 million per year with $40 million guaranteed. McLaurin, who would want more than Sutton (379 career catches for 5,340 yards, 32 TDs and two 1,000-yard seasons), has been more durable and productive, but, like the Bronco, will turn 30 early this season. For Washington and McLaurin, the question becomes how much more he warrants than Sutton.
Coach Dan Quinn said trade requests have become a regular part of the business, so the Commanders weren't caught off-guard by McLaurin's plea, but multiple team sources over the past two months have echoed the same refrain: They're not going to give up the receiver. Even if they wanted to, there's doubt, according to coaches, agents and executives around the league, about whether another team would be willing to trade for McLaurin -- and then pay him what he wants.
New ownership
The last time McLaurin was up for an extension, in 2022, multiple team sources involved in the negotiation said Snyder stepped into the process and told executives to work out a deal because, as one of the sources put it, the owner "needed a win in the headlines." Snyder and the organization were being investigated by Congress and multiple state attorneys general over workplace culture and financial issues.
That deal clearly worked out. McLaurin has been Washington's best receiver.
But in 2021, the Commanders were searching for a quarterback and Snyder, knowing they were interested in Carson Wentz, instructed the team to get a deal done as soon as possible, multiple front office sources said at the time. That led to the team sending the Colts two third-round picks as part of the compensation for Wentz. Numerous reports said the Colts would have eventually cut Wentz.
Washington ended up releasing him after one season.
From the time he arrived in 1999, Snyder's tenure was filled with moves with which he meddled, often against the wishes of others in the organization, dozens of people who worked for the team said over the years. Washington won two playoff games in his 24 years as owner -- the same number it has won under Harris in his two seasons.
Harris does not operate like Snyder. Numerous people who have worked for Harris say he's involved but will not meddle or make demands to complete a deal to win a headline, nor will he cave to public pressure.
Instead, Peters and the front office will prepare a report for him, giving him what they view as comps for a player and explain their reasoning behind an offer. Harris will ask a lot of questions, and if he's not sold, request more information. He can be demanding in that regard, say multiple people who work for him, but it allows him to understand the decision-making. He'll then leave the work to those he hired -- while staying aligned with them.
To date, though, the only thing McLaurin has signed at the Commanders' facility is autographs. One day, a young fan asked if he had signed a new deal yet. McLaurin laughed and said, "You're funny."
Fans continue to show their love for him. Another day, while Peters signed autographs, one fan could be heard in the back yelling, "Write a check!"
But both sides agree on their desire to remain in business together.
"Without a doubt," Peters said last month, "everybody in this building values Terry very much."
McLaurin has said, in essence, that he values being with Washington.
But the standoff won't get resolved until both sides agree on what that value means in a contract.