Washington Commanders veterans reported to training camp Tuesday, but wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who is seeking a new contract, was not among them, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The 29-year-old McLaurin is entering the final season of a three-year, $68.2 million contract extension. The six-year veteran has amassed at least 77 receptions and 1,002 yards in each of his last five seasons.
Last year, he excelled with 82 catches for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns for a 12-win Commanders team that reached the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991.
McLaurin’s absence comes as no surprise, given his comments to reporters last Tuesday, saying that “without any progress in discussions, it’s kind of hard to see how I step on the field,” per ESPN’s John Keim.
McLaurin did make clear that he wanted to stay in town and wasn’t looking for a trade. However, understandably, McLaurin wants to get what he deserves.
“With how the market is today it conveys what guys of my caliber are deserving of. I feel I fit in that box because of how I’ve carried myself on and off the field. I don’t want to feel like you have to beg for someone to see your worth and value. Everything in previous regimes and now I’ve done everything asked of me.”
He also noted his frustration and disappointment with the lack of progress toward a new deal at that point.
The Commanders clearly value McLaurin and want to get a deal done, as general manager Adam Peters noted in his pre-training camp press conference.
“Without a doubt, I think everybody in this building values Terry very much,” Peters said, per Commanders senior writer Zach Selby.
“We knew that coming in, and we knew that even more after spending a year with him. In terms of where we’re at, we’ve had conversations recently, and we’ll look to have some more conversations. And we’re gonna do everything we can in order to get a deal done.”
Obviously, this wouldn’t be the first time a star player has conducted a training camp holdout in search of a new deal, and it’s very possible this will be much ado about nothing if a contract eventually gets done. For now, though, training camp has started, and McLaurin is not in the building.
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