Breathe easy, Washington Commanders fans, Garrett Wilson’s new deal shouldn’t affect Terry McLaurin’s pending deal to stay in Washington. While the two sides seem at odds and talks have stalled, Jonathan Jones of CBS said it won’t have much impact. Largely because Wilson is five years older than McLaurin. His new deal reportedly is a four-year deal, worth $130 million with $90 million guaranteed.
That said, it doesn’t mean the Commanders should be lackadaisical is getting the deal done. McLaurin could hold out of training camp and if he does, would put even more pressure on them to get a deal done. They can’t sit around waiting until the time’s right to negotiate. The time is now. What McLaurin has not only endured, but then contributed to last season’s playoff run, he should be rewarded with a blank check book.
Jayden Daniels doesn’t have the rookie season he does without McLaurin. This offense isn’t explosive like it was without McLaurin. The Commanders have to see that and need to do everything they can to make sure McLaurin’s contract talks don’t loom over a season with so much potential.
Garrett Wilson’s extension means Washington Commanders lost all leverage in contract talks with Terry McLaurin
While Wilson’s extension to remain with the New York Jets doesn’t necessarily impact McLaurin’s demands, it does mean the Commanders have lost leverage in negotiating. They don’t have the power because now McLaurin can feel slighted that other teams can see value in their stars, but the Commanders can’t.
What if McLaurin now doesn’t have any interest in re-signing with a team that doesn’t want to do right by him? McLaurin is 29 years old so he’s not going to sign a super lucrative contract. But if Stefon Diggs can warrant nearly $70 million over three years, McLaurin’s certainly worth at least that.
Wilson’s extension, though deserved, now puts pressure on the Commanders to get a deal done. They can no longer drag out negotiations anymore than they have. The problem with them holding off contract talks is this right here. They lost any leverage they had before the deal and now have to play by his rules or risk not having him this year and in the future.
The Commanders are playing a dangerous game. Not only have they not showed any interest in bringing McLaurin back on a long term deal as of now, but they don’t have his replacement either. Maybe they’re having buyer's remorse after trading for Deebo Samuel.
Or even worse, what if they looked at Samuel as his replacement. Samuel had a lackluster 2024 season and is the same age as McLaurin. If trading for Samuel was their solution moving forward, they might regret it. Especially after everything McLaurin has done to help turn this team around.