The Washington Commanders have something of a contract crisis on their hands after star wide receiver Terry McLaurin asserted a trade demand amid stalled negotiations.
McLaurin asked for the trade on Thursday, July 31, after reporting to training camp earlier in the week. NFL insiders have reported that McLaurin and the only team for which he has ever played remain far apart on compensation, as Washington’s top pass-catcher approaches the final year of his current $68 million deal.
Wide receiver is a position of growing importance and monetary value across the league, so several franchises will likely be interested in McLaurin if the Commanders entertain his trade demand — which is at least possible considering they could lose him as a valuable asset if they don’t re-sign or trade him ahead of the early November deadline.
Among potentially interested parties is the Las Vegas Raiders organization whose No. 1 target heading into the 2025 campaign is tight end Brock Bowers. Moe Moton of Bleacher Report authored a trade proposal on Thursday that would see the Raiders swap wideout Jakobi Meyers and a second-round pick in 2026 to Washington in return for McLaurin.
“If the Raiders are willing to give Meyers a new deal, why not offer him, along with a second-round pick, for a more accomplished receiver who’s only a year older?” Moton wrote. “The Raiders can build the passing attack around All-Pro tight end Brock Bowers and McLaurin for the foreseeable future, while they develop [Jack] Bech and [Dont’e] Thornton in complementary roles.”
Terry McLaurin Is a True No. 1 Wide Receiver, Though not Necessarily Worth a 1st-Round Pick
GettyWashington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
McLaurin has earned spots in the Pro Bowl in two of the past three seasons (2022, 2024), and the league named him a second-team All-Pro last season. Those All-Pro honors, the first of his career, came after his fifth straight year of at least 1,000 yards receiving and a career-high 13 touchdowns catches.
Meyers is also coming off a career campaign, in which he posted highs of 87 receptions and 1,004 yards. He also added four TD receptions. That kind of production in a 29-year-old receiver is a solid return alongside a second-round pick, as some analysts have suggested McLaurin isn’t going to fetch a first-rounder in trade even though he is a true No. 1 receiver.
“Commanders fans don’t want to find out whether they can land a premium pick for WR Terry McLaurin, whose public battle for a new contract has felt like a relic of the Daniel Snyder days,” Bill Barnwell of ESPN wrote Wednesday. “As good as I believe McLaurin is, it would be tough to see a team trading a first-round pick for a wideout who turns 30 in September.”
Terry McLaurin’s Asking Price Currently too High for Commanders to Match
GettyWashington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin.
Adam Schefter, also of ESPN, ball parked McLaurin’s asking price as potentially in the neighborhood of $35 million annually while appearing on the July 28 edition of “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“I would say that DK Metcalf was in the same draft class as Terry McLaurin. He got about $33 million a year. I wouldn’t think Terry wants to take less than that, and I think he wants considerably more than that,” Schefter said. “[The Commanders] love and value Terry McLaurin, but they love and value him at a different price. These two sides right now seem apart on a deal. They don’t seem close today, and I don’t know how they’re going to get that resolved.”
As it looks now, Washington may not be able to come to a resolution with McLaurin.
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