At this point, any discussion involving Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin just feels tiresome.
Rightfully, fans want the two-time Pro Bowler to get paid. McLaurin's been a loyal, high-quality contributor through thick and thin. He deserves to be rewarded for that with a new deal that will make him a Commanders player throughout the rest of his prime.
Adam Peters hands out contracts based on logic, not emotions. The upwards of $30 million per year that McLaurin is asking for is causing a holdup. It's understandable to be hesitant to potentially overpay a player who might not be worth it a few years from now.
Surging wide receiver market shouldn't put Commanders' off from extending Terry McLaurin
However, there's one big reason why the Commanders shouldn't be worried about that, and it's not being talked about enough.
Did fans learn nothing from the Kirk Cousins saga? Washington's starting quarterback between 2015 and 2017 was run out of town after playing on two franchise tags because the team didn't want to pay him top dollar. At the time, this was considered anything over $25 million per year.
Cousins ended up signing a three-year deal worth $84 million guaranteed with the Minnesota Vikings. By the time that contract expired, the market had entirely reset.
The same process occurs at wide receiver and any other position in the NFL. Every great player wants more than the last guy. Even the bank-breaking contracts usually end up looking like nothing out of the ordinary once they're in their final year.
When McLaurin signed his current deal worth just under $23 million per year, it made him the ninth-highest-paid receiver in the league. Now, making the same money, he's set to rank 18th. This will happen again with any new deal he signs. By 2028, $30 million will be the average money for a team's No. 1 wide receiver.
So really, the only question is whether or not McLaurin can still be an average starter three years from now. That's a risk Washington should be willing to take on a player with no significant injury history who just had the best campaign of his career.
For all we know, 2024 could be more of the rule than the exception for the immediate future. The Ohio State product finally has a connection with a quality quarterback in Jayden Daniels. McLaurin could keep up his high-end production into his mid-30s if his signal-caller maintains his ascent to superstardom.
But it could easily go the other way. And that is giving Peters enough doubts to drag this out.
Let's get this done already. Reportedly, optimism is growing that progress is finally being made between the two sides. For all of Washington's sake, we can only hope.
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