OPINION:
The timing – not the act — of the Washington Commanders’ announcement that they are retiring the number of Hall of Famer Art Monk may have been fortuitous, coming the same day that Terry McLaurin was going to hold court with the media about his contract war.
Or the timing may have been an attempt at deflection – certainly understandable, if the organization knew what was coming from McLaurin, though I doubt they thought their model citizen would roast team officials over the coals for so long.
The wide receiver’s half-hour-plus question-and-answer session about how wounded he is by the team’s unwillingness to recognize his value certainly overshadowed Monk’s No. 81 being retired. Ironically, I doubt Monk was bothered by his news being eclipsed. He probably would have preferred that they just send him a letter rather than show up at his front door with a contingent of owners, team officials and former teammates with cameras to tell him the news.
He talked to the media by video the next day, but this is a guy who always preferred to let his play do his talking – and it did, retiring in 1995 with the most catches in NFL history – 940, including 106 for 1,372 yards in 1984, when he was named first-team All-Pro. I always admire someone who was so good at what they did that they couldn’t be ignored, even if they refused to blow their own horn. They tried to ignore Monk, keeping him out of the Hall of Fame for 13 years. But his excellence ignited passion in others to speak out for him until he was finally elected in his final year of eligibility. He remains a franchise icon for his dignity as much as his deeds as a wide receiver.
In a franchise short on icons since the Joe Gibbs glory days, McLaurin, 29, may be on his way to that level of status. In the toxic world of Washington football before owner Josh Harris and his band of saviors bought the team from Dan Snyder in 2023, McLaurin has been the lone standard for dignity, conducting his business with class and excellence — but apparently, for Commanders general manager Adam Peters, not enough of both to pay him what he believes he is worth with a new contract. He has one year left on the 2022 deal he signed, after staying out of minicamp in that dispute. So this isn’t his first rodeo.
But this time may be different for McLaurin, who spoke more in his media session Tuesday after a commercial shoot with Eastern Motors than Monk spoke in his entire 16-year NFL career. Even if the media appearance was orchestrated by his agent, McLaurin’s words were real – he feels betrayed.
“I’m a leader in that locker room,” he told reporters. “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. Fortunately, I’ve proven that. But unfortunately, you can’t force somebody to see that value.”
McLaurin is not seen as a top 10 receiver in the league. In ratings that were just released from NFL coaches, executives and scouts, he was ranked among the honorable mentions. But for the Commanders, McLaurin is No. 1, coming off a career year with 82 catches for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns – quarterback Jayden Daniels’ most valuable weapon — and right now there is no plan B.
“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,” he 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.”
I think he honestly feels blindsided by the team’s unwillingness to recognize that. He said the front office hadn’t been in touch with him for a month.
I remember spending time talking with McLaurin in the locker room after last season’s 40-7 win over Carolina in a game in which Daniels left in the first quarter and backup quarterback Marcus Mariota finished the game. He spoke like someone who had been rescued by the new regime after years as a hostage. He spoke of culture and standards.
“I think everybody has to buy into that,” McLaurin told me. “We’ve got a group that has. When you don’t have the ball, you’re playing hard without it, you’re trying to find blocks down the field, you’re chasing after the ball in case there is a fumble. Being happy for one another and cheering each other on, that is part of our standard. It is a way of life … it’s not just words.”
Now he might think maybe they were.
• Catch Thom Loverro on The Kevin Sheehan Show podcast.