Favorites emerge to land disgruntled Commanders WR Terry McLaurin

Reuters

5 days ago

August 1 - A pair of AFC teams quickly emerged as the strong favorites to vie for wide receiver Terry McLaurin if the Washington Commanders grant his trade request that was reported by multiple outlets Thursday.
The Commanders are the odds-on favorite to retain McLaurin at -250 at DraftKings. But the book is also offering odds on the 31 other NFL franchises, led by the New England Patriots at +450 and the Las Vegas Raiders at +500.
The next-shortest odds belong to the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans at +1100 each.
The Patriots signed veteran Stefon Diggs to a three-year, $69 million contract this offseason, but the 31-year-old is coming off an ACL injury that ended his 2024 season. Beyond him is a slew of veterans including DeMario Douglas, Mack Hollins, Kendrick Bourne and Kayshon Boutte, but McLaurin would provide a significant upgrade to pair with Diggs.
The Raiders could likewise benefit from a proven playmaker to aid veteran quarterback Geno Smith. Their depth chart is currently topped by Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker and Dont'e Thornton Jr., with second-year tight end Brock Bowers the clear No. 1 threat in the passing game.
The big question remains whether the Commanders would entertain parting with McLaurin as they prepare for a 2025 season in which they are expected to be a significant threat in the NFC.
Washington added veteran wide receiver Deebo Samuel over the offseason, but McLaurin remains the No. 1 wideout among a group that also includes Noah Brown and Michael Gallup.
Frustrated by the lack of progress in negotiations toward a contract extension, McLaurin sat out the first four days of training camp before reporting on Sunday. After reporting, he can no longer be fined $50,000 per day.
McLaurin, who turns 30 in September, became a hold-in and was placed on the team's physically unable to perform list with an apparent ankle injury suffered last season. He did not attend organized team activities and mandatory minicamp. He did, however, participate in spring workouts.
"You'd like to get these things done quicker, but it doesn't always happen that way," general manager Adam Peters said. "Whatever happens along the way, just understand he's a great player and we want to keep him here."
With a base salary of $15.5 million and cap hit of $25.5 million in the final season of a three-year, $68.3 million contract, the speedster is coming off a career year with 1,096 receiving yards, 13 touchdowns and 82 receptions on 117 targets. He added three scores and 227 yards on 14 receptions in three playoff games.
McLaurin and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels helped lead Washington (12-5) to its best season since it won the Super Bowl in 1991. The Commanders knocked off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC wild-card round and Detroit Lions in the divisional round before falling to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game.
Over six seasons with Washington, the two-time Pro Bowl selection (2022, 2024) has 6,379 receiving yards, 38 touchdowns and 460 catches in 97 games.
A team captain, McLaurin has hit the 1,000-yard mark for a franchise-record five straight seasons despite instability at the quarterback position before Daniels' NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign.
--Field Level Media