Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is undecided on whether or not he’ll show up for the start of training camp amid stalled-out contract negotiations.
His teammate, tight end Zach Ertz, is decidedly staying out of the nitty gritty of the situation, but he's confident Washington's top wideout will be ready whenever he does take the field and is pulling for McLaurin to receive a well-deserved payday.
"I don't know the business of what's going on," Ertz said Wednesday on Up & Adams. "I'm not privy to the conversations. But what is it? July 16? The first game is September 7. There's a lot of time between now and then to get something done. But at the end of the day, everyone knows Terry's working his butt off whether he's in the building or not in the building. For me, as a player that's gone through contract situations, public contract situations, I appreciated that my teammates were not out there giving their opinions and everything like that. So, I'm not gonna come out here and say one thing or the other.
"But what I do know is Terry's going to do everything he can to be at his best when his best is needed. Fortunately, his best is not needed tomorrow or early next week. It's needed toward the end of training camp, Week 1. For me, I'm rooting for Terry. I hope he gets paid as much as he wants to get paid. But in terms of the business side of it, I'm going to stay far away from that."
McLaurin is entering the last season of a three-year deal he signed in 2022 that averaged out to $23.2 million per year, currently 17th among his position mates.
He has been the Commanders' best wide receiver since the day he entered the league, going six for six leading the team in receiving yards since 2019. It hasn't been particularly close, either. The smallest gap between McLaurin and the next-closest Washington pass catcher in receiving yards was 389 in 2023 (Curtis Samuel had 613 yards to McLaurin's 1,002), and he's averaged a margin of 501.8.
He currently possesses a five-year streak with at least 1,000 receiving yards. Last season was his best yet while paired with rookie sensation Jayden Daniels, as he made his second Pro Bowl and was a second-team All-Pro selection for the first time. McLaurin had 82 catches for 1,096 yards while coming one score shy of doubling his previous career high with 13 touchdown receptions. His 70.4 catch perception was also easily a personal best.
McLaurin is trusty as can be, both in the intermediate and hauling in contested catches deep. The Commanders are a bit more balanced at wideout than they've been in previous years thanks to their trade for Deebo Samuel and selection of rookie Jaylin Lane in the fourth round to supplement depth alongside others such as Noah Brown, Luke McCaffrey and K.J. Osborn.
The group succeeding, which would allow Washington to continue momentum after a surprise trip to the NFC Championship Game, feels contingent on McLaurin being there as Daniels' safety valve.
He's also set to turn 30 in September, though, which makes finding a happy medium between years and money on his next -- and potentially last -- big-time extension more difficult.
It's perhaps why McLaurin said Tuesday that the two negotiating sides haven't talked in over a month.
No matter the price tag McLaurin is asking for, Ertz puts him at the top of the list when it comes to selflessness at WR.
"In terms of No. 1 receivers, there's two guys… A.J. Green, who I saw at the end of his career, and Terry McLaurin are the two guys that literally if they had 150 yards or 20 yards, you couldn't tell the difference in their demeanor," Ertz said. "I think that speaks volumes about the type of people they are, how they work. Dudes that just want to be great teammates and give everything they can for their guys. Those two I hold in especially high regard."
Having a presence such as McLaurin present throughout the start of camp and into the season is pivotal for a team suddenly playing under massive expectations for the first time in a long time.
The Commanders would certainly like to come to an agreement that makes that a reality by the time veterans report on July 22, at which point it will become clear if McLaurin has decided to show or not should he still not have a new deal.
As Ertz pointed out, the timeline allows for a little more wiggle room beyond then, but the clock ticks on toward Week 1 regardless.
