August 01, 2025
Bill Streicher/Imagn Images
Eagles vs. Commanders Part 1 is being flexed out of prime time.
According to a report from Jordan Schultz, Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin has requested to be traded.
BREAKING: #Commanders All-Pro WR Terry McLaurin has requested a trade, multiple sources tell me. pic.twitter.com/DQ33B2I6oi
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 31, 2025
McLaurin has been the Commanders' leading receiver since he entered the league in 2019, and always by a pretty wide margin:
| Year | Leading WAS receiver | 2nd leading WAS receiver |
| 2019 | Terry McLaurin (919) | Chris Thompson (378) |
| 2020 | Terry McLaurin (1118) | Logan Thomas (670) |
| 2021 | Terry McLaurin (1053) | J.D. McKissic (397) |
| 2022 | Terry McLaurin (1191) | Curtis Samuel (656) |
| 2023 | Terry McLaurin (1002) | Curtis Samuel (613) |
| 2024 | Terry McLaurin (1096) | Zach Ertz (654) |
McLaurin was a rare bright spot and arguably the best player on a team that went 29-53-1 from 2019-2023. He is in the final year of his contract, and has been frustrated by the lack of an extension. He was initially a holdout from Commanders camp, before becoming a "hold-in" after showing up to camp but not practicing. By making a public request to be traded, McLaurin and his representation have communicated his unhappiness to another level.
McLaurin had one year left on his deal in 2022 when he signed a three-year extension worth $68.2 million. He is currently the 16th-highest paid wide receiver in the NFL, on an average per year basis per OverTheCap.com.
The arguments for signing McLaurin to a contract extension are obvious. He's probably the second-best and second-most important player on the team after quarterback Jayden Daniels. He's also an extraordinarily popular player, both in the locker room and in the community.
Aside from any unknown unreasonable contract demands, there seems to only be one sticking point not to sign McLaurin to a contract extension — He turns 30 in September.
Normally, age might be a logical concern for a front office when considering an extension. However, it doesn't make much logical sense for a Commanders team that, by my count, signed, traded for, or re-signed 20 (!) players who are either already 30+ years of age or who will turn 30 by the time the Super Bowl is played in February of 2026. They also currently employ a staggering 31 players who are at least 29 years of age or older, by far the most in the NFL. (No other team has 20 players who are 29+ years old.)
It's also worth noting that although McLaurin will turn 30 soon, he only has six NFL seasons of wear and tear on his body, and he just had his best season in 2024, when he had 1,323 yards and 16 TDs, playoffs included. The last game that McLaurin missed was in 2020. He has had no significant injuries in his entire professional career.
A commonly cited contract benchmark is the one that the Steelers' DK Metcalf signed earlier this offseason. That was a four-year extension worth $132 million, or $33 million per year. McLaurin is reportedly seeking an extension north of that number, and the Commanders do not want to go anywhere near that high.
Their career stats are similar:
| Player | Rec | Yards | YPC | TD |
| DK Metcalf | 438 | 6324 | 14.4 | 48 |
| Terry McLaurin | 460 | 6379 | 13.9 | 38 |
The biggest discrepancy is the touchdown column, though in fairness, for the first five years of his career McLaurin's quarterbacks included Dwayne Haskins, Case Keenum, Colt McCoy, Alex Smith, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Garrett Gilbert, Carson Wentz, Sam Howell, and Jacoby Brissett. When he finally teamed up with a good quarterback in Jayden Daniels in a good offense in 2024, McLaurin had 13 regular season TDs, plus three more in the playoffs.
Metcalf is roughly two years younger than McLaurin, but they were in the same draft class in 2019, and McLaurin has been healthier.
Without McLaurin, the Commanders' top receiver would be Deebo Samuel, who had arguably his worst season as a pro in 2024, when he had just 670 receiving yards (45 yards per game), and a yards per carry average of 3.2 with the 49ers.
McLaurin is right to expect Metcalf's level of pay, and probably more, given his on-field and off-field contributions.
But certainly, the Commanders' vibes aren't great at the moment during an offseason in which there should be excitement coming off their first promising season in a long time.
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