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John KeimJul 22, 2025, 04:15 PM ET
- John Keim covers the Washington Commanders for ESPN. He joined ESPN successful 2013 aft a stint with the Washington Post. He started covering the squad successful 1994 for the Journal Newspapers and aboriginal for the Washington Examiner. He has authored/co-authored 4 books. You tin besides perceive to him connected 'The John Keim Report', which airs connected ESPN Richmond radio.
ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin, who past week expressed vexation with negotiations for a declaration extension, failed to study to grooming campy Tuesday, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
McLaurin was not contiguous for the Commanders' conditioning trial Tuesday that marked an unofficial commencement of grooming camp.
McLaurin said past week that "without immoderate progressive discussions it's benignant of hard to spot however I measurement connected the field." He besides said the sides had not talked successful much than a month. By not reporting McLaurin volition beryllium fined $50,000 for each time missed.
But Commanders wide manager Adam Peters said, "We've had immoderate bully conversations precocious and we'll proceed to. We'll bash everything we tin to get a woody done."
McLaurin has 1 twelvemonth near connected a three-year, $68 cardinal hold helium signed successful 2022. He has not publically stated what benignant of declaration he's looking for but said past week that helium wants to consciousness valued and "With however the marketplace is contiguous it conveys what guys of my caliber are deserving of."
Several notable receivers signed semipermanent deals this offseason, including the Cincinnati Bengals' Tee Higgins (four years, $115 cardinal with $40.9 cardinal guaranteed), Pittsburgh Steelers' DK Metcalf (four years, $132 cardinal with $60 cardinal guaranteed) and the New York Jets' Garrett Wilson (four years, $130 million, $90 cardinal guaranteed).
McLaurin has been Washington's apical receiver since entering the NFL arsenic a third-round prime successful 2019. He has surpassed 1,000 yards each of the past 5 seasons and caught 13 touchdown passes past play - tied for 2nd astir successful the NFL.
He's besides considered a squad person -- helium was voted by teammates arsenic a skipper during the postseason past twelvemonth (they rotated captains during the regular season) -- and a instrumentality favorite.
"Without a uncertainty everybody successful this gathering values Terry precise much," Peters said.
McLaurin turns 30 successful September, an property wherever teams often judge a receiver starts to fade. McLaurin pointed retired past week that he's lone been successful the NFL for 7 seasons and did not play overmuch his archetypal 2 seasons astatine Ohio State and didn't privation to beryllium judged by what others did successful the past.
He wanted them to presumption it connected a "case by case" basis, McLaurin said.
Peters said the cardinal is making definite to execute a declaration that is just to some sides, juggling what McLaurin has meant to the franchise portion focusing connected the future.
"That's ever the tricky portion of immoderate dialog is to fig each that out," Peters said. "I don't deliberation I've been portion of a dialog wherever it's linear and smooth; [it's] knowing wherever they're astatine and wherever we're at. It's the nuance of staying supra committee and negotiating successful bully religion arsenic agelong arsenic it fits successful the conception of what we privation to bash and however we privation to physique it."
Peters was an adjunct wide manager successful San Francisco erstwhile the San Francisco 49ers dealt with aggregate grooming campy holdouts portion moving retired caller deals, including with receiver Deebo Samuel successful 2022 and antiaircraft extremity Joey Bosa successful 2023. Peters wasn't straight progressive successful those talks but said understood however they unfolded.
"It's the quality of our business," Peters said. "You'd similar to get these things done quicker but it doesn't ever hap that way. ... You're dealing with a truly bully subordinate and truly bully idiosyncratic and you ne'er suffer show of that and marque definite each speech you person is precise consecutive guardant and successful bully religion and keeping that mindset throughout... knowing our extremity is to get a woody done.
"Whatever happens on the mode conscionable recognize he's a large subordinate and we privation to support him here."
