Washington Commanders star receiver Terry McLaurin isn’t ready to demand a trade, but said Tuesday that he hasn’t heard from the team representatives in a month amid increasingly tense contract negotiations.
A training camp holdout is on the table, he said.
McLaurin is entering the final year of his contract and skipped last month’s mandatory minicamp as he tries to land a new deal that would pay him like one of the top receivers in the NFL.
Despite donning a burgundy-and-gold jersey on Tuesday to film an Eastern Motors commercial, McLaurin said he may skip Washington’s upcoming training camp if he doesn’t receive a new deal.
“We haven’t talked in over a month and with camp around the corner, it’s becoming a little bit of crunch time,” he said. “It’s definitely disappointing. I don’t necessarily know what happens next, but without any progressive discussions, it’s hard to see how I step on the field.”
The Ohio State product and team captain was vague about the negotiations, refusing to specify whether he and the team disagreed on salary, the length of a deal or potential guarantees. He was emphatic on one issue — wanting to be treated like a No. 1 receiver.
Without a deal in the near future, the locker room staple could request a trade.
“I haven’t really gotten to the part of trade or not, like I want things to work out. But at the end of the day, like it takes two to tango,” he said.
Last season, his first with superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels, was a career year for McLaurin. He earned his first All-Pro nod after scoring 13 touchdowns with 82 receptions and 1,096 yards.
“I’m a leader in that locker room. And when you have that kind of person who brings what I bring on the field, off the field, in the community, I feel as somebody that should be valued at a very high level,” he said. “Fortunately, I’ve proven that. But unfortunately, you can’t force somebody to see that value.”
McLaurin has been the face of the franchise since he was drafted in the third round of the 2019 draft. The 29-year-old has been a constant presence, answering tough questions while the franchise underwent countless quarterback changes, two rebrands and a sale.
Now, he wants to be compensated for his loyalty.
“When you’ve proven who you are, you want that to be honored, you want that to be respected, you want that to be valued,” the two-time Pro Bowler said. “My value is so much more than a dollar amount … but I’d be remiss to not acknowledge that in our business, the dollar amount is attached to someone’s value.”
The market for receivers was reset Monday when the New York Jets gave Garrett Wilson, another Ohio State product, a four-year, $130 million extension.
Wilson is 24 years old, though, while McLaurin turns 30 in September.
Some analysts around the league have speculated that the Commanders are reticent to devote a large chunk of the salary cap toward a receiver approaching the back half of his career.
McLaurin doesn’t buy that, proudly touting his availability in having missed just three games in his six NFL seasons and none since 2020.
The concerns associated with most 30-year-olds should be reassessed, he argues, even if “Father Time is undefeated.”
“My case is different, not only from a health standpoint, but this will only be my seventh year,” McLaurin said, adding that he barely played his first two seasons in college. “There’s not a lot of tread on my tires. This is the first year we made a deep playoff run, you know what I mean? And I’ve been extremely healthy through all of that.”
For now, McLaurin will continue to train on his own and wait for his agent to negotiate a deal with the Commanders.
He still speaks regularly with teammates like Daniels, linebacker Frankie Luvu and tight end Zach Ertz — they understand the nature of these negotiations.
McLaurin has split his time between the D.C. area and Florida. In between training sessions, he visited Italy with his wife and picked up a few Italian phrases — and an appreciation for espresso.
“I’m in good spirits. And that’s the thing. Like, the money is not what motivates me. It’s to be the best person I can be on the field, to bring out the best in myself,” he said. “I want to be able to walk away from this game knowing that I gave everything I got.”
He brought that to his on-screen performance at Eastern Motors on Tuesday, though the pass-catcher said he won’t be quitting his day job for the silver screen any time soon.
“Michael B. Jordan, I think his job is safe,” McLaurin said. “I compare to a young Denzel [Washington] anyway. … I kind of have an old soul.”
Commanders veterans report to training camp — with or without McLaurin — on July 22.