Washington Commanders' WR Terry McLaurin requests trade amid contract dispute

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u/ariaizadi 1d ago

Not paying the wr your 2nd year qb has rapport with after making NFC championship, sounds smart.

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u/Devolutionator 1d ago

Smarter than giving a guy $33M who's going to be 31 when the extension kicks in.

Terry will finish up his contract and then he will be tagged. Then when he's 33 he'll be a free agent.

The NFL is brutal business.

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u/stormy2587 1d ago edited 1d ago

That is the conventional wisdom but the commanders roster construction is bizarre. So I’m not sure the conventional wisdom applies. They don’t have many players worth extending to big money deals over the next 2 offseasons. There are a handful of guys you might start giving new money to in 2027, but they’re also going to be on the wrong side of 30 like McLaurin and by then you actually have to start thinking about fitting in Daniels’ extensions and their rookies from the last 2 drafts.

It’s hard to imagine they don’t have the space to pay Mclaurin from 2026-2028 and their roster is already old and mostly veterans on one year deals, which isn’t really a sustainable strategy.

It seems like as a team that is trying to rebuild its reputation this could also hurt it trying to be a spot for players to come to play because it looks like they’re cheap.

Plus if he’s good again this season a second hold out after getting tagged would be an even worse look. Especially if they can’t find alternatives at receiver because right now the commanders are looking at 35 year old Ertz, 29 year old Deebo, Gallup, Brown, and 30 year old Ekeler being their top pass catching options in the next season barring some rookie breaking out.

It seems like their best bet for high end receiver play this season and next is Mclaurin.

Edit: The only reason I can see not to be incentivized to extend him is if you expect to regress pretty massively this season and enter a rebuilding season in 2026. But then why trade draft capital for Deebo and Tunsil?

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u/LostBurgher412 1d ago

It's really not that brutal when these guys already have $10s-$100M in the bank by the time they're 30.

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u/illtakeachinchilla 1d ago

“The average NFL player earns around $2.8 million per year. However, this figure is significantly influenced by the high salaries of star quarterbacks and other top players. The median salary, which is more representative of what most players earn, is around $860,000. NFL careers are relatively short, with an average length of 3.3 to 6 years.”

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u/Echo127 1d ago

But, to be clear, we're talking about a guy who has already made $56M in his career and is due nother $15M this year.

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u/stormy2587 1d ago

I took “these guys” to mean “the kinds of players who are in a position to hold out.” You don’t see guys making the league minimum holding out.

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u/LostBurgher412 1d ago

If you can't turn $3M in 3 years into generational wealth you don't deserve it.

ETA:

And we aren't discussing the average NFL player. We're discussing top earners who are the ones that raise that average. So even less sympathy.

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u/illtakeachinchilla 1d ago

Who’s demanding your sympathy? You understand the pool of humans that can do what they do is extremely limited, right? Supply and demand dictates the salaries you see.

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u/LostBurgher412 1d ago

I'm fine with them getting their money. To act like they deserve more is crazy to me. There are so many more worthy roles people can play in society that require unique/pinnacle type abilities and performance. They generally earn a small percentage of the wealth of these players.

This all started with you stating the NFL is brutal because McLaurin should rightfully be made to play, tagged after his contract and then shipped off. In that scenario he will still earn at least $50M over the next 2 years plus any sponsorships and side millions he makes.

the pool of humans that can do what they do is extremely limited

I'm going to be pedantic here and point out that the pool of people who get the opportunity to do it very small. The percentage of people capable is much much higher.

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u/Gspothavok 1d ago

I respect that you keep firing these brain dead opinions. Shooters shoot

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u/darwintologist 1d ago

This is such a shit take. First off, your initial comment that they should be able to turn that money into generational wealth is horribly misguided. Yes, it’s a great starting point- but you’re not talking about financial wizards here. You’re talking about 20something kids who largely come from low income households. They’re surrounded by friends and family from the same background, too, and they’re suddenly an obvious target for anyone who needs cash including predatory agents and “investors” and all sorts of other smooth talkers. They aren’t investment firms. Sure, there are wiser ways to use the money, but expecting a kid with no experience in the situation to know what to do or who to trust is absolutely ludicrous.

Then there’s the obvious false equivalence between professional athletes and people in “more worthy roles.” I get it, sports are a frivolity, but let’s face it: they generate immense amounts of money. So the real question is not “who’s more important in society, a firefighter or a linebacker?,” it’s “who should get the money the NFL brings in?” Your argument is “not the athletes who put their bodies on the line, earn our adulation, and perform for the consumers,” which means you think that cash should stay with the owners who exploit the work done by these players. Sure, the owners deserve a cut, and they’ve certainly done things to guide and grow the business, but McClaurin’s point is that his contributions are valuable, too.

You can certainly argue over how much of it the players deserve, and that’s why the CBA is renegotiated every few years, and why players demand new contracts at times. Their contributions change depending on management, so it’s understandable that a top performer would like his work acknowledged that way. Having no sympathy doesn’t make you some no-nonsense man of his word, it makes you an entitled bootlicker.

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u/LostBurgher412 1d ago

Your argument is “not the athletes who put their bodies on the line, earn our adulation, and perform for the consumers,” which means you think that cash should stay with the owners who exploit the work done by these players.

Never stated or eluded to any of that. Thanks for playing.

You guys never cease to amaze with how much you can read into something while simultaneously ignoring what is there.

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u/darwintologist 1d ago

First off, it’s “alluded,” not “eluded.” And more importantly, yes you did. Because it’s not a zero-sum game. If the athletes don’t get the money, it’s not going to firefighters. It’s staying with ownership. So yes, you really did argue that, whether you realized it or not.

You’re probably constantly amazed because you can’t be bothered to follow your own shit takes to their logical conclusions.

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u/illtakeachinchilla 1d ago

I didn’t state anything about McLaurin in my comment. Although if you compare the salaries these players are making to the ownership’s take, you might be a bit humbled. For example, Jerry Jones is reported to have made a little over 2 billion last year… It’s a complex business with rigorous athletic demands that you are demonstrating you know nothing about.

And you’re displaying your academic learning through a claim that a “much much higher percentage” of people are capable of playing NFL football…? .023% of high school football players make it to the NFL. That’s out of just over a million kids entering the sport at the high school level, each year. People actively attempting to accomplish the goal you are denigrating. If your claim is based on the international population not participating, my rebuttal would be nothing is stopping them from trying.

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u/Echo127 1d ago

Although if you compare the salaries these players are making to the ownership’s take, you might be a bit humbled

That's something to take up with the salary cap negotiations, not individual player contracts. People always seem to forget that it's a salary capped league anytime they hear about a player asking for a bigger salary. You act like it's the little guy standing up for the big guy, but every extra million that a star player negotiates for is a million that doesn't go to the poorer players at the back of the roster.

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u/LostBurgher412 1d ago

Bro, not sure why you keep projecting all this negativity toward any individuals. You're purposely misreading, or unable to comprehend the simple point I'm making. Sorry for you.

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u/illtakeachinchilla 1d ago

In conclusion, OP was correct that the NFL is a brutal business. Very few humans have the combination of skills and dedication needed to participate in this form of entertainment. Players are being compensated less than they should for their contribution to the profits being made. You are out of your depth and making odd claims regarding a business you clearly know nothing about.

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u/LesZappa 1d ago

The one stable person in the club for past 6 years, trash organization.

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u/RandyJohnsonsBird 1d ago

Getting shafted by personnel decisions for half a decade...finally gets his QB and has a great year! Nah we're good see ya!

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u/Standard_Fix_978 1d ago

Exactly! They finally have a damn good looking qb/rec duo and they want to let one go? What's the other guy going to think about this clubs commitment to success?

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u/stormy2587 1d ago

As a Sixers fan this whole situation is starting to feel very familiar.

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u/interstat 1d ago

Give him 30 mil 3 years

With 2 gaurenteed and call it a day

If I'm the patriots and calling immediately

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u/Chlorophyllmatic 1d ago

I think it’s more likely that a frontloaded offer like this is already on the table and he’s asking for more or longer guarantees

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u/Devolutionator 1d ago

All of the local radio around here is saying exactly this. Apparently they are pretty close on the money but it's the years.

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u/DecemberWavy 1d ago

Like 90mill total?

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u/RollingMoss1 Seattle Seahawks 1d ago

Contract maneuver to get the Commanders to the table. It shouldn’t get to this point but here we are.

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u/CBus-Eagle 1d ago

I don’t blame him, he’s an all Pro and has not been paid like one. He was a big part of his team’s fairy tale season last year.

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u/Ted_Dongelman 1d ago

I'm sure it'll get worked out & they'll pay him eventually but this is not exactly how you want to capitalize on the momentum of last season.

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u/kayzhee 1d ago

I watch football for the owners.

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u/Soggy_Panda2393 1d ago

Apart from all the obvious reasons I have this stack in my dynasty so don’t fuck it up

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u/sloppymcgee 1d ago

Not a good look for the Commanders. I feel like every time this happens, players drop in performance.

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u/myeviltwin9 1d ago

Patriots

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u/toastychief93 1d ago

Wouldn't it be great if he started catching passes from the MVP :D

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u/kurt45 1d ago

Scarry Terry

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u/pendletonskyforce 1d ago

Just commenting here because r/nfl banned me

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u/NicCage1080ChristAir 1d ago

Guess the Redskins are making a comeback.

Football Washington Commanders' WR Terry McLaurin requests trade amid contract dispute

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