NFL writer proposes insane hypothetical Terry McLaurin trade

The Washington Commanders have yet to ink star receiver Terry McLaurin to a contract extension and every week that passes where he remains unsigned fuels more speculation and casts more doubts about his future with the team.

According to The Athletic’s Ben Standig, the Commanders have zero intention of entertaining trade offers for McLaurin. That report also claimed the team will “not rush” an extension for the 26-year-old wideout, however.

As a result, teams are reportedly monitoring McLaurin’s status in the event he becomes available for trade. It’s a big predicament for Washington, as the WR market has exploded this offseason with several stars inking record-setting deals.

That ever-growing list includes Davante Adams, Tyreek Hill and most recently Stefon Diggs, while others such as Mike Williams, Chris Godwin, Christian Kirk and DJ Moore all signed for between $18-20.68 million annually.

We like to think Washington wouldn’t dream of trading McLaurin, but that hasn’t stopped NFL analysts and fans alike from speculating what it would take to pry the 2019 third-round pick from the Commanders’ clutches.

On Friday’s episode of “Good Morning Football”, co-host Peter Schrager continued this conversation by proposing a hypothetical McLaurin trade.

NFL writer Peter Schrager proposed a hypothetical trade scenario involving Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin.

Schrager really has no regard for how combative NFL Twitter can be … and how protective Commanders fans are towards McLaurin. Instructing Twitter to ” have at it” is equivalent to asking two hockey players to drop the gloves with no referees available to break up the fight.

All jokes aside, McLaurin is worth a lot more than a late first-round pick.

For starters, no prospect Washington drafts at pick No. 22 is going to be nearly as good as McLaurin is right now. At that point, the best available prospects in that range would be Alabama WR Jameson Williams, Arkansas WR Treylon Burks, Penn State WR Jahan Dotson, Clemson CB Andrew Booth and Florida CB Kair Elam.

With the run on safeties expected to start at the beginning of the second round, Washington could feel pressured into reaching on one of Michigan’s Daxton Hill or Penn State’s Jaquan Brisker, and nobody wants that.

At the end of the day, it boils down to whether the Commanders would prefer saving money by trading McLaurin and having two first-round draft picks as a result, or if they’d keep McLaurin and bolster their WR corps at pick No. 11.

• Option A: McLaurin and best available WR at No. 11
• Option B: Draft WR at No. 11 and either a CB or S at No. 22

Give us Option A seven days of the week and twice on Sundays. The idea of having two-first rounders is enticing, but the Commanders could still get a top-tier safety or cornerback in the second round at pick No. 47. While Hill could be long gone, Brisker could be available. Even if both are off the board, Georgia’s Lewis Cine and Baylor’s Jalen Pitre would give Washington solid value with its second pick.

https://twitter.com/DABartonek/status/1511004784664453130

Wherever you side on the debate, the Commanders should never consider trading McLaurin for a single draft pick, even if it’s a first-rounder. The Chiefs got FIVE draft choices back for Tyreek Hill, so McLaurin should be able to net at least three, whether it be a first, a third and a fifth, or two seconds and a fourth.

McLaurin is no longer the NFL’s best kept secret at wide receiver. Spotrac’s latest evaluations for the position have him slated higher than DK Metcalf, AJ Brown and Deebo Samuel, each of whom casual fans would argue are superior players.

We’re sick at the thought of even analyzing McLaurin’s trade value, but the discourse won’t subside until he inks an extension. The important takeaway here is that McLaurin is worth much more than a late first-round pick.

There’s nothing to “have at,” as Schrager implied in his tweet.