The Pittsburgh Steelers are far from the only team dealing with a hefty contract negotiation heading into training camp. In Washington, the Commanders have stalled in talks with WR Terry McLaurin. With conversations halted, McLaurin decided to talk to the media instead. He didn’t hold back his feelings, either.
“Without any progress in discussions, it’s kind of hard to see how I step on the field,” he told reporters via ESPN after filming an offseason commercial.
McLaurin has watched several other wide receivers, including the Pittsburgh Steelers’ DK Metcalf and, most recently, the New York Jets’ Garrett Wilson, get paid this year. McLaurin has been angling for a long-term deal since last offseason and played a key role in the franchise’s 2024 turnaround. He recorded his sixth-straight 1,000-yard season and set a career high with 13 touchdowns. His success translated into the playoffs, finding the end zone in all three of the Commanders’ games.
After signing a 2022 extension, McLaurin’s deal voids after 2025. He’s fallen to be just the 17th-highest paid receiver in football.
Without a deal, trade rumors have naturally sparked. Pittsburgh could use a clear-cut No. 2 receiver, and adding McLaurin is the seismic move the Steelers have been routinely making this offseason. But McLaurin doesn’t want out of Washington.
“I want to be here,” he said. “I want to make that abundantly clear.”
His desire to stay with the Commanders and his desire for a new contract are competing factors. Former Miami Dolphins tight end Jonnu Smith didn’t want to leave either until he realized a new deal wasn’t coming. That shipped him to Pittsburgh with an extension in hand. The same logic could apply to McLaurin, leaving the possibility of a trade on the table.
Still, that comes with its own complicating factors. McLaurin is in search of a big-money deal, likely in the $30 million per year vicinity. Such a figure matches his age, and for a receiver who wins with speed, paying him comes with the risk of diminishing returns.
Pittsburgh’s already sunk big money in Metcalf, and while the math could support McLaurin’s deal, too, the Steelers might be done making those high-end deals for one offseason. The Steelers are also keeping their 2026 draft capital powder dry, carefully adding future picks while being sure not to give them away in the Fitzpatrick deal. Instead of sending next year’s selections to Miami, Pittsburgh traded FS Minkah Fitzpatrick and 2027 capital, instead.
The lesson of this offseason is that the Steelers are capable of providing the unexpected. But a deal with McLaurin might be a bridge too far, and for the moment, McLaurin just wants a new contract, not a new team.
