Adam Schefter puts Terry McLaurin in group of 3rd-year WRs not participating in OTAs, but he will be there today

ESPN’s Adam Schefter caused a minute-long scare in the DMV early this morning with a tweet that lumped Terry McLaurin in with two other 3rd-year WRs(Deebo Samuel and A.J. Brown) who are not expected to participate in their team’s on-field offseason programs because they want new contracts. He immediately followed that up with a tweet stating that McLaurin was a team leader and he would be attending the portion of Washington’s offseason program that begins today. This was also confirmed by JP Finlay who said everyone on the team is expected to be in Ashburn today for the Commanders first ever offseason program. On-field activities are expected when OTAs and Training Camp start after the draft and later this summer.

Ben Standig confirms that McLaurin is expected to skip voluntary on-field workouts

Both sides in the McLaurin discussion initially projected contract negotiations to begin in earnest post-draft and likely deep into the summer. Washington reached a contract agreement with defensive tackle Jonathan Allen last year in late July, shortly before the start of mandatory training camp.

Washington has expressed their interest in signing Terry McLaurin to a contract extension all offseason. They met with his agent at the NFL Combine last month to discuss a new deal. A month later it was reported by Grant Paulsen that the Commanders had not made a contract extension offer to McLaurin. Washington traded for QB Carson Wentz less than a week after the meeting with McLaurin’s agent, and their focus shifted after his $28 million cap hit wiped out most of their available money. Multiple moves were made to clear cap space for their immediate needs, and for what they need in the future.

One of those moves was cutting Landon Collins with a post-June 1st designation. This move clears $11.9 million, but the team has to wait until until June to use the money. Ron Rivera has said the team has plenty of time, and fans should have patience as they work on a new contract for one of the team’s captains, and their most important weapon on offense. That is hard to do as everyone has watched the wide receiver market go crazy this offseason with monster trades and contracts happening weekly, and at some points, daily during this year’s free agency. Fans see McLaurin’s price getting bigger by the day, and just want to see a deal get done so their anxiety and PTSD from previous players can be calmed down.

Ron Rivera also said that no teams have reached out to Washington and they wouldn’t entertain a trade offer for McLaurin. Schefter mentioned the option teams have to trade the trio of wide receivers, but that’s not an option here. McLaurin has also not requested a trade, and seems open to an extension. The question is obviously what price will it take to lock him up long-term, when does that deal happen, and is he waiting to see how the Carson Wentz experience goes before committing long-term? We haven’t heard much from McLaurin’s side, but he is expected to seek a market-level deal which would pay him a minimum of $20 million/year.