The Washington Commanders and Terry McLaurin are in the fourth quarter of their contract negotiation period before the start of the season. McLaurin showed face at the Commanders’ team scrimmage on Tuesday, and reporters saw him having a brief conversation with General Manager Adam Peters.
We don’t know exactly what was said, but speculation and optimism remain that the two sides will be able to reach an understanding shortly.
The All-Pro wideout is currently on the Physically Unable to Perform List, and being on the PUP list allows him to end his holdout while remaining off the practice field.
On the latest Trap or Dive Podcast, Lynnell Willingham of 106.7 The Fan joined the show to break down the Commanders’ training camp to date and what the first quarter of Washington’s season would look like if Terry McLaurin remained on the PUP list. McLaurin does have the ability to get paid his base salary if he starts the season there, so long as he returns by the sixth game of the season.
Willingham believes that, given what he has seen in practices, Washington does not have the horsepower offensively to overcome McLaurin’s absence if he misses the first six games of the season. The concern becomes who can step up at the wide receiver position to help Deebo Samuel, especially if Noah Brown is still navigating his knee injury at the start of the season.
A question for McLaurin, though, assuming he does not get an extension before the season, can he risk taking the route of starting on the PUP list? It’s a risk, especially knowing that he wants to maximize his worth going into next season. I don’t think he takes that risk. I also do not believe he wants to miss that amount of time to prove a point that Washington needs him.
Further, McLaurin’s worst-case scenario could come from missing the first six games of the season. What if Washington is winning despite his absence, and there is an unknown wide receiver who emerges as a serious contributor? Of course, the team and fans would welcome Terry back to the offense with open arms, but the team, and even the fan base may have some serious relief knowing that Washington found a diamond in the rough, while boasting a 4-2 or 5-1 record.
These are hypotheticals, of course, but what do you think? Can Washington swim without McLaurin for the first quarter of the NFL season? What would be their best case and worst case record without him?
You can listen below to the full Trap or Dive episode with Lynell below. We also discussed:
- Offense lacks playmakers outside of Deebo Samuel
- Trey Amos is the real deal
- Offensive line holes with injuries
- Running back room underrated?
- Jeremy Reaves ascension
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