That wasn’t so hard, was it? McLaurin has essentially missed all of the offseason with a hold-in as he was in pursuit of a new contract. Now the receiver who turns 30 years old next month will be back on the field with a new contract when the Commanders take on the Giants in Week 1. McLaurin’s average salary is now $32 million, which is the same as A.J. Brown and less than only Ja’Marr Chase, Justin Jefferson, Ceedee Lamb, D.K. Metcalf and Garrett Wilson among receivers.

Metcalf got a four-year, $132 million extension with the Steelers this offseason, but is also both younger than McLaurin and had more leverage after the Steelers surrendered a second-round pick to acquire him. The contract that the Commanders point to is Courtland Sutton, who signed a four-year, $92 million deal earlier in training camp. There’s a canyon between Metcalf’s $33 million a year and Sutton’s $23 million — it’s likely that McLaurin will have to settle for something closer to the midpoint of those two numbers than what Metcalf got. Unless of course he’d like his holdout to continue into the season.

All three teams would make sense as a landing spot for disgruntled Commanders WR Terry McLaurin, who has sat out Washington’s training camp and is reportedly unhappy with the lack of progress toward a new deal with the Commanders. The Vikings will be without Jordan Addison for the season’s first month, meaning Jalen Nailor will likely work as the team’s WR2. The Jets, meanwhile, have the league’s thinnest wide receiver room behind Garrett Wilson. The 49ers will be without Brandon Aiyuk for a while, and Jauan Jennings is reportedly dealing with a calf injury and unhappy with his current contract. McLaurin’s fantasy stock would be highest in Washington, though San Francisco would be a good landing spot statistically for the 30-year-old wideout. He’d take a major hit if he’s dealt to the Jets.

Russini spoke with league officials and concluded McLaurin is a long shot to land a deal in the $30 million per year range ahead of the 2025 regular season. McLaurin, headed into his age-30 season, has not participated in any offseason activities and has expressed persistent frustration with the team’s refusal to meet his demands. If McLaurin continues to hold out in the regular season, Deebo Samuel would likely operate as the Commanders’ No. 1 wideout, with Noah Brown working as the team’s WR2. Michael Gallup could see a good number of snaps and routes too.