Fan hilariously starts GoFundMe page to help Commanders pay Terry McLaurin

With organized team activities and mandatory minicamp in the rearview, the Washington Commanders will now break for a little over a month before they return to Ashburn for training camp, which runs from July 28 to Aug. 18.

In other words, we’re about to hit the doldrums of the offseason. Storylines will no longer be at a premium. Luckily, Terry McLaurin’s contract saga should give fans plenty of content to pass the time between now and camp.

As we know, McLaurin hasn’t been with Washington since before the draft and didn’t attend mandatory minicamp amid his contract talks.

The hope is a middle ground will be reached before training camp, as that’s around the time Jonathan Allen signed his extension last offseason … and the team started negotiations with the star DT much later than it did with McLaurin.

Bottom line? There’s reason for optimism, though some diehards are a little skittish after the stalemate dragged into minicamp. How jumpy, you ask? Well, let’s just say one fan went as far as to create a GoFundMe page to help raise money for the beloved receiver’s contract.

The goal? Just $23 million big ones.

A Commanders fan started a GoFundMe page for Terry McLaurin’s contract.

Hey, every penny counts right? You bet, though NBC Sports Washington’s Pete Hailey nailed it in saying the $23 million sum will have to be multiplied by three (at least) to be barking up the right tree in terms of McLaurin’s expected earnings.

Then again, the fan could simply be aiming to hit McLaurin’s expected average annual value on his new deal. Considering the exploded WR market that unfolded this offseason, $23 million would slot Terry right behind Bills phenom Stefon Diggs ($24 million AAV) as the seventh-highest paid wideout in the game.

Either way, something in the range of $23-25 million should be the expectation after Philly gave AJ Brown $25 million per year and $56.47 million in guarantees. There’s an argument to be made McLaurin is the superior receiver to Brown, so the former’s camp has every right to demand more than the newly-minted Eagle.

Whatever McLaurin ends up making, Commanders fans will love hearing the 2019 third-round pick’s absence from minicamp seemed to light a fire under the front office. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Washington has “intensified their efforts to get a long-term deal done,” and an agreement could get done this week.

What was that about the Commanders having leverage over McLaurin? Sure seems like McLaurin is calling the shots here. The 26-year-old knows how indispensable he is to the offense, that he’s produced in spite of inconsistent quarterback play and extending him would help restore the franchise’s reputation.

If nothing else, this GoFundMe page should tell the front office how much fans want McLaurin around for the long haul. If Ron Rivera and Co. feel the same way, they’ll have this done and dusted before training camp or thereabouts.