3 moves Commanders need to make following 2022 NFL Draft

2. Extend Terry McLaurin

The Commanders’ most consistent receiver over the last three seasons, McLaurin is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is deserving of a huge extension after topping the 1,000-yard mark in each of the last two campaigns.

The only problem? The wide receiver marked has exploded beyond belief this offseason, likely putting McLaurin’s baseline at $20 million annually.

Could the Eagles’ trade for AJ Brown and subsequently extending him to a four-year, $100 million contract ($57 mil guaranteed) give the Commanders an ideal model to extend McLaurin? Or is the fact Tennessee traded Brown instead of paying him $20+ million the more likely outcome for the 2019 third-round pick?

We seriously hope it’s the former. During the draft, Rivera made it clear Brown’s extension won’t impact negotiations with McLaurin.

"“I don’t think it impacts it,” Rivera said Thursday. “A different player, different style more so than anything else. It’s just one of those things that you go through negotiations based on what the player is for you. “Obviously, they’re going to tell you what they think about what his value should be. So, we’ll just work through it and negotiate it and go from there.”"

That’s good to hear. Regardless of when it gets done — our guess is sometime before training camp given that’s when Jonathan Allen signed his extension last year — one of Washington’s next high-profile moves should be extending McLaurin.

Move heaven and earth to reach an agreement. Give him the keys to the city. Whatever it takes to ensure his future lies in Washington.