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John Keim
ASHBURN, Va. — Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin, who last week expressed frustration with negotiations for a contract extension, failed to report to training camp Tuesday, sources told ESPN.
McLaurin was not present for the Commanders’ conditioning test that marked an unofficial start of training camp.
McLaurin said last week that “without any progressive discussions, it’s kind of hard to see how I step on the field.” He also said the sides had not talked in more than a month. By not reporting, McLaurin will be fined $50,000 for each day missed.
But Commanders general manager Adam Peters said, “We’ve had some good conversations recently and we’ll continue to. We’ll do everything we can to get a deal done.”
McLaurin has one year left on a three-year, $68 million extension he signed in 2022. He has not publicly stated what sort of contract he’s looking for but said last week that he wants to feel valued and “With how the market is today, it conveys what guys of my caliber are deserving of.”
Several notable receivers signed long-term deals this offseason, including the Cincinnati Bengals’ Tee Higgins (four years, $115 million with $40.9 million guaranteed), Pittsburgh Steelers’ DK Metcalf (four years, $132 million with $60 million guaranteed) and the New York Jets’ Garrett Wilson (four years, $130 million, $90 million guaranteed).
McLaurin has been Washington’s top receiver since entering the NFL as a third-round pick in 2019. He has surpassed 1,000 yards each of the past five seasons and caught 13 touchdown passes last season — second most in the NFL.
He’s also considered a team leader — he was voted by teammates as a captain during the postseason last year (they rotated captains during the regular season) — and a fan favorite.
“Without a doubt, everybody in this building values Terry very much,” Peters said.
McLaurin turns 30 in September, an age at which teams often believe a receiver starts to fade. McLaurin pointed out last week that he has only been in the NFL for seven seasons, did not play much his first two seasons at Ohio State and didn’t want to be judged by what others did in the past.
He wanted them to view it on a “case by case” basis, McLaurin said.
Peters said the key is making sure to execute a contract that is fair to both sides, juggling what McLaurin has meant to the franchise while focusing on the future.
“That’s always the tricky part of any negotiation is to figure all that out,” Peters said. “I don’t think I’ve been part of a negotiation where it’s linear and smooth; [it’s] understanding where they’re at and where we’re at. It’s the nuance of staying above board and negotiating in good faith as long as it fits in the construct of what we want to do and how we want to build it.”
Peters was an assistant general manager in San Francisco when the 49ers dealt with multiple training camp holdouts while working out new deals, including with receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. in 2022 and defensive end Joey Bosa in 2023. Peters wasn’t directly involved in those talks but said he understood how they unfolded.
“It’s the nature of our business,” Peters said. “You’d like to get these things done quicker, but it doesn’t always happen that way. … You’re dealing with a really good player and really good person and you never lose sight of that and make sure every conversation you have is very straightforward and in good faith and keeping that mindset throughout … understanding our goal is to get a deal done.
“Whatever happens along the way just understand he’s a great player and we want to keep him here.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter contributed to this report.