Terry McLaurin wants to agree a contract extension before he turns up to play in 2025, per SI.com.
Coming off a career year, McLaurin intends to remain with the Washington Commanders, but he held out from minicamp and there hasn’t been any progress towards a new deal.
There hasn’t been a trade request, yet McLaurin’s future in the capital is clearly uncertain, with SI.com speculating on potential trade partners if Washington did explore dealing the star wideout.
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While McLaurin is adamant he wants to stay with the Commanders, he told reporters how disappointed he is that the two parties remain so far apart in contract negotiations. Other teams would surely be keen to acquire McLaurin, who was WR5 in fantasy football last season, even with the risk of a long-term deal for a wide receiver entering his age-30 season.
The 2024 season was the best of McLaurin’s career by a considerable margin. It was his first year with an elite quarterback, and he immediately formed one of the NFL’s best quarterback-receiver tandems with Jayden Daniels. Having entered the season with 25 career touchdowns, McLaurin had 13 scores in 2024 and posted the highest catch percentage of his career.
Trade Risk
If McLaurin stays with Washington, he will be a top-10 wide receiver in 2025. He could play out the final year of his contract and head to free agency. There’s a risk he holds out, which would obviously have a major impact on his fantasy value, and there’s the downside of being traded to a less favorable situation.
Daniels, who begins the new season as one of the league’s best quarterbacks, had seamless chemistry with McLaurin. A new team would bring schematic changes and most likely a less talented quarterback.
McLaurin had been WR23 or below in four of his previous five seasons. He was WR14 in 2022. The arrival of Daniels elevated his ceiling from a fantasy perspective, with the Commanders becoming one of the most dynamic offensive teams in the league.
Fantasy Evaluation
Fantasy managers have already reacted to McLaurin’s contract stalemate. Fantasy Pros have his ADP as 17.5. He would be getting drafted at WR10 or above if he was entering the season fully healthy with a contract extension signed.
This ADP presents an opportunity for some serious value, however.
McLaurin, as reported by Tom Pelissero, said, “I want to be here. I want to make that abundantly clear.”
Washington would be foolish to move on from Daniels’ first-choice receiver after their first winning season since 2016. The most likely outcome is a contract extension before the start of the regular season, which would see McLaurin’s fantasy stock soar.
Any opportunity to draft McLaurin after pick 30 should be taken.
Published: Jul 18, 2025 10:49 am