There’s something distasteful, regardless of sport, about a group of coaches and executives who rely solely on analytics to make big decisions.
We’ve seen it in baseball. We’ve seen it in basketball. Now we’re seeing it in the NFL in a really ugly way, as ESPN’s John Keim reported the biggest sticking point in the ongoing, messy contract negotiations between the Washington Commanders and NFL All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin isn’t money … it’s because the franchise’s analytics department believes the 30-year-old is too old to receive another big payday.
“This likely remains the biggest sticking point because it frames the argument for Washington,” Keim wrote on August 13. “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.”
McLaurin is coming off the best season of his career as he set a franchise record with 13 touchdown receptions to go with 83 receptions for 1,096 yards as the Commanders advanced to the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
McLaurin still has one season left on the 4-year, $68.36 million contract extension he signed in June 2022 and is due to make $19.65 million in 2025.
McLaurin Maintaing ‘Hold In’ Status in Preseason
McLaurin hasn’t been practicing but has been a constant presence at Commanders practices throughout the preseason as a “Hold In” — something players seem to be doing more and more instead of staying completely away from their teams.
While the Commanders made a myriad of offseaosn moves to solidify their status as Super Bowl contenders, it’s hard to imagine them tapping into their full potential without McLaurin on the field.
“I’m a 10/10 as far as my level of concern … If you want to make sure Jayden Daniels’ trajectory stays on track, that means every day he can be around Terry McLaurin in a football capacity, you make sure they’re in your building or on the practice field together,” ESPN’s Louis Riddick said on “First Take” on July 23. “But now you’ve nickel and dimed (McLaurin) until he’s not even in camp.”
Trade Request Not Being Taken Seriously
While McLaurin may have requested a trade already, it’s hardly something the Commanders are taking seriously. Mostly because they still have him under contract for another year.
“If the two sides can’t reach an agreement, he will have to play or forfeit his weekly game checks for each missed game,” Keim wrote. “Based on his salary of $15.5 million, that would cost him $911,764 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.”
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