3 potential Terry McLaurin trade partners if contract talks go awry

1. Indianapolis Colts

Colts general manager Chris Ballard is notorious for making the most cost-effective move, but that changed in a big way this offseason, as he traded for Yannick Ngakoue, signed Stephon Gilmore and acquired Matt Ryan from Atlanta.

Indianapolis’ core and surrounding talent is good enough to compete in the loaded AFC, but Ryan’s receiver room leaves a lot to be desired. Michael Pittman is an ascending talent, but he’s really the only reliable outlet. How will Alec Pierce look as a rookie? Will Parris Campbell finally stay on the field? Is Ashton Dulin a three-down player?

Trading for McLaurin would quell those concerns. The Colts blew the chance to draft the hometown kid (McLaurin was born and raised in Indy) during the 2019 draft and something tells us they’d be hungry to amend that mistake if the Ohio State product were to become available for trade.

On top of playing for his hometown team, McLaurin would reunite with a former Buckeyes teammate (Campbell), so it’s not like he’d be walking into a completely unfamiliar locker room.

Indy has been rumored with a move for Julio Jones, maybe the greatest wideout of his generation and Ryan’s former favorite target with the Falcons, but McLaurin would be the smarter addition given Jones’ recent injury history.

The Packers and Ravens both make sense as McLaurin trade partners should Washington make him available, but the Colts feel like the no-brainer top partner in this exercise given the need and the fact he starred at Cathedral High School, which is just a 30-minute drive from Lucas Oil Stadium.

Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.