The Washington Commanders made Terry McLaurin one of the highest paid wide receivers in NFL history this offseason, ensuring their homegrown talent wouldn’t leave in free agency. Now, details about the deal recently signed have emerged.
McLaurin, age 26, was poised to play out the final year of his rookie contract in the 2022 NFL season. However, the 6-foot wideout sought a long-term deal to keep him in a Commanders uniform. While a deal was eventually reached, it took significant time.
The two sides weren’t remotely close to a deal in May, even leading to some belief in the NFL that McLaurin could be traded. While head coach Ron Rivera quickly made it clear the team wouldn’t deal its No. 1 offensive weapon, Washington also had a lot of ground to make up at the negotiating table.
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Talks started to intensify in mid-June with the Commanders’ front office showing an increased determination to get a deal signed. After being millions of dollars apart in the contract AAV when negotiations began, Washington and its 2019 third-round pick agreed to terms on a $71 million extension on June 28.
- Terry McLaurin stats (career): 3,090 receiving yards, 16 touchdowns, 14 ypc in 36 games
Now that the contract is signed and McLaurin is locked in with the Commanders for years to come, details on the structure of the deal have emerged.
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Terry McLaurin contract details
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, one of the best reporters in the NFL with contract details, provided a full breakdown of the terms of the three-year extension.
McLaurin received a $28 million signing bonus, tied with Davante Adams for the second-highest among wide receivers and just surpassing DeAndre Hopkins ($27.25 million). In order to make the signing bonus more cap-friendly for the team, McLaurin’s contract includes a voidable year in 2026 to help spread out the cap hit.
As with many contract extensions signed by young players, the base salary is dropped considerably to help create a smaller cap hit in the upcoming season. While McLaurin’s base salary in 2022 is low, the deal comes with a maximum $425,000 per-game roster bonus.
- Terry McLaurin salary (2022): $1.054 million
McLaurin will start seeing more of the money in 2023. He’ll receive a $2 million bonus at the start of the 2023 league year if he is on the 90-man roster and there is a fully guaranteed $500,000 workout bonus. The 2023 base salary is set at $1.825 million, but it comes with a per-game roster bonus of up to $850,000.
Here is the year-by-year breakdown of McLaurin’s salaries each season.
- 2022: $1.054 million
- 2023: $1.825 million
- 2024: $14.14 million
- 2025: $15.25 million
On the fifth day of the 2024 league year, McLaurin will receive a $2 million bonus if he is on the 90-man offseason roster and it is guaranteed for injury. There is also a $500,000 workout bonus in 2024 and 2025. He is also slated to earn up to a $850,0000 per-game bonus in 2024 and 2025.
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Needless to say, it’s a deal that both sides are extremely happy with. It should also serve as a starting point for DK Metcalf and Deebo Samuel in their contract negotiations with their respective teams.