Commanders are creating a problem for no reason with Terry McLaurin dispute

This does not have to be this hard, but here we are. With training camp about a month out, both sides remain far apart on putting an extension together. Terry McLaurin reportedly wants upwards of $30 million on his new contract, while the Washington Commanders are not willing to approach top-of-the-market value for him. He has been a great soldier amid chaos, so why not pay the man already?

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported on Sunday's edition of SportsCenter that McLaurin "is not happy with where things are with an extension." He added that the Commanders will "have a couple of weeks here to make progress" before McLaurin's holdout could potentially extend into training camp. Fowler's colleague Adam Schefter mentioned something previously while on The Pat McAfee Show.

It may have been a week ago and right before the Fourth of July, but Schefter's reporting of "there's no update on the Terry McLaurin situation and that's the problem..." totally rings true. Schefter did end his response to Ty Schmit's question about McLaurin by stating that he would be totally shocked if disgruntled stars in contract disputes such as McLaurin and T.J. Watt ended up playing elsewhere.

Here is the clip from June 30's edition of The Pat McAfee Show in which Schefter spoke on McLaurin.

McLaurin has spent his entire NFL career with Washington as a third-round pick out of Ohio State.

Why Washington Commanders need to pay Terry McLaurin the big bucks

McLaurin is entering the final year of his three-year deal worth $68.364 million he signed ahead of the 2023 NFL season. Because he was a third-round pick out of Ohio State, he was not afforded the easiest pathway into the NFL. Had he been a first-round pick by a far more better run organization at the time, maybe we would not be running into this issue? Regardless, he has remained so productive.

We are looking at a wide receiver who has had five straight 1,000-yard seasons playing on a contract with an average annual value of just under $23 million. Despite there being a cast of characters throwing him the football since 2019, McLaurin has still found a way to get his and then some. The two-time Pro Bowler from Indianapolis turns 30 years old in the middle part of September this year.

No, he is not going to make Ja'Marr Chase or Justin Jefferson money on his new deal. I think that McLaurin resetting the wide receiver market would be a bad idea for everyone involved, outside of McLaurin's investing portfolio. What is important is to not disrupt the growth of second-year starting quarterback Jayden Daniels. Together, they can help take the Commanders back to the Super Bowl.

So what I would do if I were general manager Adam Peters is look to put forth a deal that gets McLaurin within the vicinity of other superstar wide receivers like Chase and Jefferson, but without going past them. Then again, Washington can afford to pay McLaurin top-of-the-market money because they still have Daniels entering year two of a rookie contract as a former first-round pick.

It would be silly for Washington not to pay McLaurin, as the Commanders could be a title contender.