If the Pittsburgh Steelers really want to go all-in this season, they might consider making one final splash move to trade for WR Terry McLaurin, who recently made his displeasure with the Washington Commanders known in the form of a trade request. Those requests can be nothing more than a negotiating tool in this day and age, but it hasn’t helped move the process along, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo on Inside Training Camp Live.
“[They are] no closer to a contract extension than they have been recently,” Garafolo said. “I think this situation’s gonna take some time to resolve one way or another. I know the trade request is in, but that’s sometimes part of the negotiating playbook, and it’s not necessarily an indication that the relationship between the player and the team is coming to an end.”
Trade requests are becoming commonplace in the NFL as a last-ditch effort by players to assert their leverage during negotiations. Myles Garrett went public this offseason and then signed what was then the largest non-quarterback contract in NFL history. McLaurin reached a point where he felt the request was necessary, with the Commanders not offering a reasonable contract. He told the media earlier this month that he feels disrespected by his team.
That feeling of disrespect hasn’t turned ugly yet. McLaurin is still at camp on the PUP list as a quasi hold-in. And he even tipped off head coach Dan Quinn that he was going to make a formal trade request before it happened.
“He let me know that that was happening too, so I definitely appreciate that,” Quinn said via the team’s YouTube. “We love Terry. I’m glad he’s here, and hopefully he’s out practicing soon. And we also understand there’s the business side of these things….Trade requests, that’s part of normal business. It’s happening around the NFL. It’s normal.”
However, not every trade request situation has panned out. Micah Parsons’ situation with the Dallas Cowboys continues to get uglier, and Trey Hendrickson is entering his third or fourth month since he told them he wanted out.
He is currently the 17th highest-paid WR in terms of average annual salary at $23.2 million. He doesn’t expect to reset the market, but he wants to be closer to the top, in line with his recent production. I think somewhere in the $31 million range would be the starting point in their talks.
To make this happen, the Steelers would have to execute yet another blockbuster trade and then give McLaurin a strong contract extension. That seems unlikely, given what they did with DK Metcalf earlier this offseason. But the Steelers have been nothing if not aggressive lately, and they could certainly use another top receiver to elevate the offense.
