Wide receiver Terry McLaurin and the Washington Commanders agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension worth up to $70 million, according to multiple reports Tuesday.
McLaurin, whose agents said he will receive a signing bonus of $28 million, was entering the final year of his rookie contract and planned to steer clear of workouts while seeking a new deal.
The agreement hushes any holdout talk from McLaurin, who becomes one of the seven highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL while jumping off the list of disgruntled young wideouts.
McLaurin skipped mandatory minicamp and was working out on his own, a plan that head coach Ron Rivera wasn’t pleased with given the arrival of new quarterback Carson Wentz.
But the deal through 2025 carries an average annual salary of $23.3 million.
NFL Network put the max value of the deal at $70 million, while ESPN reported it could reach $71 million.
A third-round pick in 2019, McLaurin caught 77 passes for 1,053 yards with five TDs last season. He had 87 receptions for 1,118 yards and four touchdowns in 2020, production that looks even more impressive when the revolving door at quarterback in Washington is taken into consideration.
Deebo Samuel (49ers) and DK Metcalf (Seahawks) remain candidates for a trade among McLaurin’s peer group of talented receivers digging in for a big payday.
Multiple wide receivers in their position were traded this offseason, including Davante Adams (Packers to Raiders), Tyreek Hill (Chiefs to Dolphins) and Amari Cooper (Cowboys to Browns) as the market for No. 1 wideouts exploded.
Adams left the Packers and is the league’s highest-paid wide receiver with an average salary of $30 million. He’s just ahead of Hill ($28 million), both of whom overtook DeAndre Hopkins ($27.3 million) with the Arizona Cardinals.
The Rams signed All-Pro Cooper Kupp to a new deal that bumps his pay to $26.7 million per season and the Eagles acquired A.J. Brown from the Tennessee Titans, signing him to a contract that averages $25 million per season.
Buffalo’s Stefon Diggs ($24 million) is also just ahead of McLaurin in terms of average annual salary.
–Field Level Media