TerryMcLaurin

News: 4 days agoThe Commanders don't appear interested in dealing McLaurin (ankle), who requested a trade Thursday, according to Nicki Jhabvala and Diana Russini of The Athletic.

Spin: The Commanders may not want to meet McLaurin's price in extension negotiations, but they've reportedly shut down other teams that have inquired about a trade. It's a tricky situation, as he turns 30 in September and is drastically underpaid relative to his 2024 production (now in the final season of a three-year, $68.3 million contract, with a $15.5 million base salary for 2025). He rightfully expects a massive raise on his next deal, while the Commanders may be hesitant to sign an extension with large guarantees through his age-32/33 seasons. After holding out from June minicamp and the first few days of training camp, McLaurin reported to the team this past weekend but has been absent from practice due to an ankle injury. It's not clear whether the ankle is a real concern, as all reports so far are pointing to money and security as the real issues at hand for the soon-to-be 30-year-old wideout.

ESPN Fantasy Projection: Many benefited from the arrival of Jayden Daniels in Washington last season, but perhaps no one more than McLaurin. The six-year vet caught 13 touchdowns (second most) after totaling 24 during his first five seasons and finished a career-best seventh (15th in PPG) in fantasy points. Despite the success, there is some "sustainability" concern here, as McLaurin's volume didn't change much from years past and he finished outside the top 30 in routes and target share. He's finished exactly 19th among WRs in targets three seasons in a row and has never finished higher than 15th in catches or ninth in yards. McLaurin will require a boost in usage to offset TD regression to the mean in order to sustain WR1 numbers. He's best valued as a mid-to-back-end WR2.