At some point, the Washington Commanders are going to have to pay Terry McLaurin. The talented wide receiver had been nothing but a good soldier up until this past offseason with the team. Amid seemingly never-ending chaos, McLaurin was always able to get his in the receiving game. He quickly emerged as Washington's WR1. He should be paid as such, as he has never made big money before.
McLaurin's contract situation has hit a standstill because he views himself worthy of getting DK Metcalf money. Neither were first-round picks coming out of college, but have proven themselves to be more than that in their professional careers. The former Ohio State product has not practiced with the team since the end of last NFL season. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is clearly frustrated.
Ahead of their second preseason game of the summer on Monday night vs. the Cincinnati Bengals, Kingsbury told the local media that Washington will not know where it stands on offense "until we get pieces back." He mentioned not having two of their starting wide receivers and two well-thought-of guard certainly makes it hard to gauge. It is something they must figure out over the next few weeks.
Kingsbury is alluded to not only McLaurin being out, but receiver Noah Brown and guard Sam Cosmi.
Kingsbury said they won’t know exactly what they are on offense “until we get pieces back”. Said when you don’t have your projected two outside WRs and two projected guards it’s hard to gauge. Haven’t had a chance to mesh. “Something need to get to over the next (2-3) weeks”
— John Keim (@john_keim) August 15, 2025
At some point, general manager Adam Peters needs to swallow his pride and pay his No. 1 receiver.
Terry McLaurin has all the leverage to get a new deal from Washington
Let me put it to you this way. Washington enters this season with grandiose expectations. The Commanders feel like one of a handful of locks to make the NFL playoffs out of the NFC. I would argue they are in the same grouping as Philadelphia, possibly even more so than other likely teams such as Detroit and Green Bay. This is a team that finished in last place in the NFC East two years ago.
The absolute last thing the Commanders need to do is waste any precious time on Jayden Daniels' rookie contract. Eventually, they are going to have to pay their emerging superstar quarterback huge money. The clock is already ticking for him, and he will not come cheap. The other thing to keep in mind Dan Quinn is entering year two as head coach, the same point he led Atlanta to a Super Bowl.
Peters may be a promising, up-and-coming general manager, but he stems from the John Lynch front office in San Francisco. For as smart as Lynch is and as good of a football player and broadcaster he was before assuming this role in 2017, he kind of gets to operate without consequence in this role. Nothing is ever easy for the 49ers when drafting players and paying their best players fair contracts.
Ultimately, Washington cannot possibly be this stupid to shorten their wide-open Super Bowl window. These things are only open for a moment, closing far sooner than you would ever expect them to. Look no further than quality NFC teams like Detroit and Los Angeles. Do you have the Lions or Rams winning the Super Bowl this year, much less getting to them? You have to push Philadelphia this fall!
Kingsbury knows what he is talking about, so it is abundantly clear that McLaurin needs to be paid.