An overlooked reason as to why Commanders should extend Terry McLaurin

Like countless NFL fans, Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin is currently mourning the death of his longtime friend and teammate Dwayne Haskins, who passed away on Saturday after he was struck by a car.

Before the tragedy, the discourse surrounding McLaurin revolved around his impending contract extension … or upcoming free agency. Entering the final year of his rookie contract, McLaurin is extension-eligible, but Ron Rivera recently made it seem like neither side is in a rush to get a deal done.

Those comments didn’t resonate with the fan base, which desperately wants McLaurin to spend the remainder of his prime in Ashburn.

Negotiations will likely commence after the draft and mid-July stands as the most realistic timetable for a potential agreement. After all, that’s around when Jonathan Allen inked his four-year, $72 million extension last offseason.

We don’t need to sit here and laud McLaurin’s talent and rattle off reasons why Washington should extend him. You’ve all watched him play these last three seasons. With improved QB play, he’s destined to attain superstar status.

That much is obvious. Another overlooked reason the Commanders should extend McLaurin, though? Unlike other big-name receivers, the former third-round pick has kept a low profile despite being out of a contract after 2022.

An overlooked reason as to why the Commanders should extend receiver Terry McLaurin.

This past week, Deebo Samuel unfollowed the 49ers on Instagram. The wide receiver/running back hybrid even went through the trouble of removing most of the 49ers-related content from his profile page.

Another standout from the stacked 2019 class, Samuel is clearly disgruntled with his current contract and is essentially demanding one on a public platform. While Samuel deserves his money after he compiled 1,770 all-purpose yards last season, this isn’t the most professional way to go about business.

McLaurin, on the other hand, hasn’t made a peep.

Elsewhere, trade rumors surrounding the Seahawks’ DK Metcalf and Titans’ AJ Brown, two other phenoms from the 2019 draft, refuse to subside.

The two mega-stars admittedly haven’t stoked the rumors, but their constant tweeting hasn’t exactly eased fans’ minds, either. The same can be said for the Steelers’ Diontae Johnson, who uncorked a cryptic-worded tweet on Saturday.

Go take a look at McLaurin’s Twitter page. From paying homage to the late Dwayne Haskins, showing love to his former Ohio State teammates during the Combine, retweeting a post from Washington that announced Cam Sims re-signing, McLaurin has never been one to cause a stir on social media.

The same can be said about his contract demands. Does anyone have a clue as to what the 26-year-old is seeking annually or in guarantees? Nope. Insiders and cap experts have speculated based on the current market, but McLaurin is seemingly intent on keeping everything behind closed doors.

Johnson is reportedly seeking $90 million over five years and Samuel is setting his sights on becoming the highest-paid non-quarterback.

Additionally, Davante Adams strong-armed his way out of Green Bay after rejecting a record-setting contract, and Tyreek Hill was granted permission to seek a trade after the Chiefs couldn’t pay him more than what the Raiders gave Adams.

The trend ends with McLaurin. Don’t believe us? Despite wanting a contract, McLaurin’s expected to report to Washington’s voluntary offseason workout program on Monday. Samuel and Brown will reportedly take an alternative route.

In addition to being a fantastic wide receiver, he handles himself with class of the field, including in front of the media, and is one of the faces of the franchise. Those are all reasons he deserves an extension from Washington.

The fact McLaurin isn’t stirring up drama on social media, ruffling weathers within the organization or purposely leaking his reported demands to establish leverage in negotiations are pretty strong reasons, too.

Don’t lose sight of that.