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The Washington Commanders are in a difficult situation with receiver Terry McLaurin. Washington's star wide receiver recently requested a trade amid his contract dispute with the team. Now new details are emerging that shed some light on what exactly he wants in a new contract.
The Athletic's Dianna Russini shared some details about what she's hearing related to McLaurin's contract dispute with the Commanders.
Russini pushed back on the narrative that McLaurin is seeking an identical contract to Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf.
“I know there's some talk out there that Terry McLaurin is looking for an identical contract to DK Metcalf,” Russini said via Scoop City on Tuesday. “I heard there's parts of that contract that he's looking for, but that doesn't necessarily mean [he wants] the exact APY.”
The Steelers signed Metcalf to a four-year, $132 million contract after acquiring him in a trade earlier this offseason.
It is easy to understand why McLaurin would want a contract similar to Metcalf's, even if it is not identical.
McLaurin has been a reliable receiver for Washington ever since joining the team in 2019. He has put up at least 1,000 receiving yards every season since 2020. McLaurin is everything an NFL team could want from a veteran wide receiver.
What is Terry McLaurin's leverage over Commanders in contract negotiations?
Does McLaurin have enough leverage to force the Commanders to give him a new contract?
ESPN's Dan Graziano certainly thinks so.
Graziano explained in a recent article that Washington's offense would be very different without McLaurin. As such, he has some pretty significant leverage that could help get a deal done before the regular season.
“McLaurin's leverage, to the extent that he has any, appears to be that they clearly need him if they want to operate their offense,” Graziano wrote. “He has been upfront with the coaching staff about what's going on. He informed Quinn of the trade request before it became public. Daniels said the two of them have been talking a lot and watching film together. So whenever the standoff ends or McLaurin decides to start practicing, it shouldn't take long for things to rev back up. In the meantime, it's the one negative storyline that's cropped up around this team since Quinn and general manager Adam Peters came in last offseason.”
Hopefully both sides can agree on a new contract very soon. Otherwise, this dispute could drag into the regular season.
