The Washington Commanders finally brought an end to weeks of consternation and signed star wide receiver Terry McLaurin to a contract extension. McLaurin's contract will pay him as much as $96 million over three years, which will keep Jayden Daniels' top target in town for years to come.
The McLaurin saga, which began when he requested a trade after six seasons in the nation's capital, helped get fans from all over the league foaming at the mouth as they tried to come up with the best hypothetical trade package possible.
As interesting as the McLaurin trade sweepstakes was for other emerging contenders and dynastic teams alike, the latest reports make it sound like there was no real shot of Washington ever letting the former Ohio State star escape their grasp.
The Athletic says Commanders were never going to trade Terry McLaurin
According to Jeff Howe of The Athletic, no team around the league genuinely believed that the Commanders were going to trade McLaurin away, implying that the trade request was simply part of what became a more arduous-than-expected negotiation process. Washington would have been foolish to let him go.
I hadn’t heard from any teams that believed the Commanders would trade McLaurin. And despite challenging negotiations, the team knew how important McLaurin would be to their success this season. An extension always made the most sense. https://t.co/U8tku2gJDv
— Jeff Howe (@jeffphowe) August 25, 2025
Even though the Commanders acquired former San Francisco 49ers star Deebo Samuel Sr. to serve as a complement to McLaurin, any offense that is leaning on 2025 Samuel as a featured option is begging to be flattened. Deebo getting McLaurin's target share in an Air Raid attack would not have been feasible.
With Daniels still on a rookie deal, the Commanders now have all the financial freedom they need to pursue other high-end skill position players in the next few years. The Brian Robinson Jr. trade left them with a hole at running back, and tight end could be targeted if they are unimpressed with the progress of Ben Sinnott.
McLaurin could be poised for an even better season in 2025, as he will now have a second year of experience in a Kliff Kingsbury-led Air Raid-type scheme that can be very difficult to digest for the uninitiated in their first season. Samuel will take some of the pressure off him as well.
The only logical move for both parties was to come to terms on a contract that would make McLaurin one of the highest-paid players at his position in the league. Trading him would have left a crater right at the heart of the offense that would have been tough to fill.