Commanders star gets deal impacting NFC East

Commanders’ longtime captain is once again one of NFL’s top-paid receivers.
McLaurin’s deal is news his offensive mates will benefit from directly.
But the return of ‘Scary Terry’ before Week 1 spotlights issues for Giants, Cowboys.

One of the NFL’s protracted summer hold-ins – unofficial term – is fully (and finally) back into the fold.

Pro Bowl wide receiver and longtime team captain Terry McLaurin agreed to a three-year extension with the Washington Commanders on Monday morning, a person informed of the situation told USA TODAY Sports. The person was granted anonymity because the team has not yet officially announced McLaurin’s new contract.

McLaurin’s pact will pay him up to $96 million, his average annual salary of $32 million pushing him back up the positional pay scale among the league’s other premier pass catchers. McLaurin, who will turn 30 next month, is now tied with Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown as the sixth-best compensated wideout, in terms of yearly average, coming in just behind Pittsburgh’s DK Metcalf and the Jets’ Garrett Wilson, who signed extensions earlier this offseason.

What does the fallout seem to be for McLaurin and others? Here are your winners and losers from his big deal:

WINNERS

Terry McLaurin

He’s merely entering his seventh year with the Washington franchise, but it seems like he’s put in a lifetime of admirable work and already deserves a spot in the organization’s Ring of Fame. A third-round pick in 2019 who was really expected to be a special teams ace when he joined the roster, McLaurin has failed to crack 1,000 receiving yards just once in his career – he had 919 as a rookie – despite a rotisserie of quarterbacks.

Yet his value is hardly illustrated by stats. McLaurin has almost always been available, often as the face of the franchise, despite all the questions he’s fielded over the years – quite a lot of them having nothing to do with football – amid the seedy circus that marked disgraced and departed Daniel Snyder’s ownership tenure. McLaurin unfailingly did what Snyder wouldn’t – represent this franchise proudly and appropriately, even amid the lack of support he experienced in terms of competent infrastructure and teammates who could help him elevate the Washington Football Team and Commanders above the muck while Snyder was there.

Monday’s payday is a just reward for “Scary Terry,” so nicknamed for the immediate impact he made the minute he arrived in Washington.

Jayden Daniels

The NFL’s reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year owes much of his instant success to McLaurin, who led Washington with 82 catches and 1,096 yards last season while scoring a career-high 13 touchdowns. Ever reliant on his main target, Daniels also found McLaurin for 56 first downs. Not having him for any period of time would have been a major blow for Daniels given there’s really no obvious candidate on this roster – recently acquired Deebo Samuel included – ready to backfill such an important role, both in terms of production and on-field steadiness.

Deebo Samuel

Obtained from the San Francisco 49ers in March, Samuel is nevertheless headed into what could be his first and last year with the Commanders, his contract set to expire next winter. But he can rest assured he’s likely to fulfill his familiar role in 2025 – Samuel dubbed himself a “wide back” years ago – which means getting the ball into his hands by whatever means necessary as a runner, short-area receiver or otherwise. Good news that McLaurin is handling the traditional WR1 duties, and doubtless doing plenty of downfield blocking that will help spring Samuel, giving him a golden opportunity to have the kind of season that translates into his own subsequently strong contract.

Dan Quinn

Washington’s head coach was clearly growing weary answering questions about McLaurin’s negotiations and practice availability as he spent the summer rehabbing an ankle while on the PUP list. Onward, DQ.

Kliff Kingsbury

It hasn’t taken long for the name of Washington’s offensive coordinator to resurface as a strong future head coaching candidate just two seasons removed from his departure from the HC role with the Arizona Cardinals. And while designing an offense devoid of McLaurin might have further spotlit Kingsbury’s creativity and ability, probably better to do the same with all of his top assets available for game plans.

TBD

McLaurin’s contract structure

Notably, the structure and guarantees of McLaurin’s new deal, which will likely run through the 2028 season, are not yet known. Metcalf’s four-year, $132 million deal included $60 million worth of guarantees. Brown, whose pact is designed like McLaurin’s in terms of length and max value, scored an $84 million guarantee – more than a year ago. Wilson’s $90 million worth of guarantees are the fourth most ever reeled in by a receiver, but he’s five years younger than McLaurin and a seemingly safer investment. It will be telling to note how much McLaurin assuredly banks and how much of his money might be for showier reasons.

LOSERS

Brian Robinson

The recent trade of the Commanders’ former starting running back wasn’t necessarily precipitated by McLaurin’s impasse. But there’s no denying that Robinson’s departure freed up about $2 million in cash for the Commanders – per Spotrac, they’re still paying part of Robinson’s 2025 salary – at a time of year when budgets are much tighter than they are during free agency. But McLaurin gets his money … while Robinson gets a backup role with the Niners.

Paulson Adebo and Deonte Banks

If the New York Giants’ starting cornerbacks, who will face the Commanders in Week 1, thought they were going to be guarding Noah Brown and Luke McCaffrey … welp. Adebo and Banks can now count on getting a workout from McLaurin, whom Daniels will doubtless have in his sights early and often as he tries to avoid a NYG pass rush now juiced by Brian Burns, Kayvon Thibodeaux and rookie Abdul Carter.

Micah Parsons and Trey Hendrickson

Maybe they’re playing charades as their own contractual charades drag on. McLaurin has his bag, but pass rushers Parsons and Hendrickson continue holding in – certainly both looking for more than $32 mil per – and hoping their teams, the Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals, respectively, come to their senses as the Commanders did. Tick. Tock.

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