6 Terry McLaurin Trade Packages the Commanders Couldn't Refuse Amid Contract Rumors
Washington Commanders standout Terry McLaurin might not be regularly mentioned as one of the NFL's best receivers, but the two-time Pro Bowler is as dependable as they come.
The 29-year-old has averaged over 1,000 yards per season in his career and has topped the 1,000-yard mark in five straight campaigns. Now, he's reportedly looking to secure a contract more befitting of his production.
On Thursday, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported that McLaurin has become "frustrated with the lack of progress" on a new contract and "unexpectedly" left voluntary workouts.
Washington should be more eager to pay McLaurin than to trade him, but there are reasons to consider dealing him at the right price. Here, we'll dive a little deeper into McLaurin's situation and examine six hypothetical trade packages the Commanders would have to at least consider.
Examining McLaurin's Situation
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Before we dig into the teams that should be interested in McLaurin and the packages they could realistically offer, it's worth examining why he should draw attention on the trade market.
To put it simply, McLaurin is a productive and consistent pro's pro of a wide receiver. He may not consistently produce the eye-catching numbers of wideouts like Justin Jefferson or Ja'Marr Chase, but he resides just a tick below the elite tier.
With a terrific combination of size (6'0", 201 lbs) and speed (4.35-second 40-yard dash), McLaurin has all the physical tools a team could want in a No. 1 receiver. More importantly, perhaps, he has produced week in and week out, regardless of who the Commanders have had under center.
Last season, McLaurin played a big role in helping Jayden Daniels become an instant sensation. However, Washington could still consider moving him for a price, for a couple of reasons.
For one, McLaurin will turn 30 in September, and the Commanders may not be eager to invest too much into an aging receiver with the Daniels window just opening. Secondly, Washington added Deebo Samuel via trade this offseason, meaning it wouldn't be devoid at the receiver position if McLaurin were to be moved.
A good comparison for McLaurin's situation is that of DK Metcalf. While Metcalf is over two years younger than McLaurin, he was also a product of the 2019 draft and a two-time Pro Bowler who has put up very similar career numbers.
Both receivers have appeared in 97 games over six seasons. McLaurin has caught 460 passes for 6,379 yards and 38 touchdowns. Metcalf has caught 438 passes for 6,324 yards and 48 touchdowns.
This offseason, the Seattle Seahawks traded Metcalf to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 2025 second-round pick and a late-round pick swap. That should provide a solid baseline for McLaurin trade offers. Metcalf then signed a four-year, $132 million extension with the Steelers. His annual $33 million salary is roughly $10.2 million more than McLaurin got on his current contract and is likely in the range that McLaurin hopes to reach.
Any trade for McLaurin would, presumably, come with a new contract.
Arizona Cardinals
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Cardinals Get: WR Terry McLaurin
Commanders Get: 2026 2nd-round pick, Edge Zaven Collins
The Arizona Cardinals might not seem like an obvious candidate for McLaurin because they added their No. 1 receiver when they drafted Marvin Harrison Jr, in 2024.
What the Cardinals don't have, however, is a top-tier receiver who can complement Harrison and help get more out of quarterback Kyler Murray. McLaurin could be that, and now could be the perfect time to add him.
Murray and head coach Jonathan Gannon are both entering a pivotal season. Murray hasn't performed at a Pro Bowl level since 2021 and may need help to get back to the form he had before his 2022 ACL tear. Gannon has delivered just 12 wins in his two seasons at the helm.
Adding McLaurin could help Murray return to his pre-injury production and, potentially, help Arizona get over .500. To sweeten the pot, the Cardinals could include edge-defender Zaven Collins, who had five sacks last season but could be a potential 2026 cap casualty.
The Cardinals could save $4.4 million this year by trading Collins, and they've added Calais Campbell, Josh Sweat and rookie first-round pick Walter Nolen III to their pass-rushing rotation this offseason.
Washington could be very interested in a little edge help. Bleacher Report's Alex Ballentine recently identified edge-rusher as the team's biggest post-draft need.
Los Angeles Chargers
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Chargers Get: WR Terry McLaurin, 2026 3rd-round pick
Commanders Get: 2026 2nd-round pick, 2026 4th-round pick, WR Quentin Johnston
The Los Angeles Chargers are a more obvious trade candidate for a receiver. While L.A. did bring back Mike Williams and use a second-round pick on Tre Harris, receiver depth was one of the team's biggest issues in 2024.
Ladd McConkey was great as a rookie, but 2023 first-round pick Quentin Johnson has yet to become a dependable target for Justin Herbert. Josh Palmer finished third on the team with 584 receiving yards but is now a member of the Buffalo Bills.
Williams missed most of 2023 with a torn ACL and had just 298 yards with the Steelers and New York Jets last season.
McLaurin would walk into L.A. as Herbert's top perimeter target and would instantly elevate the passing game. For a team looking to leapfrog the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West and make a deep postseason push, that would be huge.
And like the Cardinals ($40.9 million), the Chargers should have the cap space ($27.9 million) needed to work out a long-term extension with McLaurin.
Los Angeles could send Johnston to Washington in the deal. While the TCU product hasn't played up to his draft status yet (1,142 yards in two seasons), he has intriguing upside, is only 23 years old and is starting to adapt to the NFL game.
"Going into that second year last year, I feel like a lot of stuff slowed down for me," Johnston said, per Omar Navarro of the Chargers' official website.
With up to three years left on Johnston's rookie contract—including the fifth-year option—he could be valuable enough for Washington to justify a Day-2 pick swap instead of an outright second-rounder.
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New England Patriots
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Patriots Get: WR Terry McLaurin
Commanders Get: 2026 2nd-round pick, TE Austin Hooper
The New England Patriots did an incredible job of improving the supporting cast of second-year quarterback Drake Maye this offseason.
In addition to adding a proven head coach in Mike Vrabel, New England added the likes of center Garrett Bradbury, right tackle Morgan Moses, rookie left tackle Will Campbell, wide receiver Stefon Diggs, wideout Mack Hollins, rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson and rookie receiver Kyle Williams.
With all of those additions, could the Patriots still find room for McLaurin? Absolutely.
Diggs was signed to be the No. 1 receiver but comes to New England with plenty of question marks. He's coming off of a torn ACL and has already caused an off-field distraction with a certain viral boat video. Hollins had a few big plays with Buffalo last season but has rarely been more than a third or fourth receiver.
McLaurin, meanwhile, showed last season that he can be a tremendous asset for a young, developing quarterback. He didn't have the best statistical season of his career when paired with Daniels, but the two were an incredibly efficient duo—McLaurin provided a quarterback rating of 133.0 when targeted.
While New England should be better this season than during last year's four-win campaign, its second-round selection is still likely to be fairly high. The Patriots could potentially solidify a deal by throwing in backup tight end Austin Hooper.
Ballentine recently named tight end as Washington's second-biggest need. 2024 second-round pick Ben Sinnott remains unproven, while starter Zach Ertz will turn 35 in November. Hooper isn't exactly young, but he's nearly four years younger than Ertz and has two Pro Bowls on his resume.
New York Jets
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Jets Get: WR Terry McLaurin, RB Austin Ekeler, 2025 5th-round pick
Commanders Get: 2026 2nd-round pick, RB Breece Hall
The Jets are looking for a franchise reset in 2025, with a new coach in Aaron Glenn and a new quarterback in Justin Fields. Getting off to a fast start would help both Glenn and Fields, and adding McLaurin could help New York do it.
McLaurin could be particularly valuable to Fields, who has shown himself to be an elite scrambler but who is still developing as a pocket passer. New York added Josh Reynolds this offseason but should be interested in adding McLaurin opposite Garrett Wilson.
It's also worth noting that Jets passing game coordinator Scott Turner previously coached McLaurin as Washington's offensive coordinator.
The potential obstacle for New York is a financial one. The rival Patriots have $60.8 million in cap space available and could extend McLaurin immediately. However, while the Jets have $37 million available, they also need to consider extensions for standout 2022 draft picks Garrett, Sauce Gardner, Jermaine Johnson II and Breece Hall.
Theoretically, the Jets could alleviate one contract situation by sending out Hall in a trade. While Hall has been a quality starter for New York when healthy, the Jets added Wisconsin product Braelon Allen in last year's draft. With Fields perfectly capable of augmenting the ground game, the Jets may have no interest in extending Hall with a top-of-the-market contract.
The 24-year-old would fit Washington's new Daniels-centric timeline than 30-year-old Austin Ekeler. Including a running back swap in this deal would allow the Commanders to get younger in the backfield while giving New York depth as it eyes a new backfield tandem in 2026.
Pittsburgh Steelers
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Steelers Get: WR Terry McLaurin
Commanders Get: 2026 1st-round pick, 2027 5th-round pick (from Cowboys)
While the Steelers traded for Metcalf this offseason, they also dealt George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. While a lineup of Metcalf, Robert Woods, Calvin Austin III and tight end Pat Freiermuth is respectable, Pittsburgh could use a playmaker like McLaurin.
And if the Steelers were ever going to go all-in on a season, this is the one. On Friday, they made their one-year deal with quarterback Aaron Rodgers official.
Though Rodgers had a largely forgettable season with the Jets in 2024, he was coming back from a torn Achilles. In theory, the 41-year-old will be an upgrade over last year's duo of Fields and Russell Wilson. If the Steelers hope to make a legitimate run at a Super Bowl with Rodgers, however, they should look for all of the receiver help they can get.
McLaurin, who is a pristine route-runner who can attack all areas of the field, would complement Rodgers well.
Pittsburgh may have to pay a premium in terms of draft capital to acquire McLaurin for a couple of reasons. For one, the Steelers are highly unlikely to be picking near the top of the draft order. Under head coach Mike Tomlin, they simply don't experience sub-.500 seasons.
Secondly, the Steelers won't want to surrender any potential contributors in a trade. Their play for Rodgers suggests they believe they can make a serious run this season. They're not going to part with a player who can help them achieve that goal.
Of course, acquiring McLaurin wouldn't have to be a one-year investment. With $32.3 million in cap space, the Steelers could afford to lock him up long-term.
Tennessee Titans
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Titans Get: WR Terry McLaurin
Commanders Get: 2026 2nd-round pick, 2027 5th-round pick, WR Treylon Burks
As previously mentioned, McLaurin has already proven his worth as an aid to a young quarterback. That should interest the Tennessee Titans, who just used the No. 1 overall pick on Miami quarterback Cam Ward.
Tennessee just finished a two-year stretch during which it tried and failed to make things work with 2023 second-round pick Will Levis. An underwhelming supporting cast was part of the issue, and the Titans' receiving corps still leaves something to be desired.
A trio of Calvin Ridley, Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett is respectable, but Tennessee doesn't have a true No. 1 receiver on its roster. Rookie receivers Chimere Dike and Elic Ayomanor—both drafted on Day 2—are totally unproven.
It's easy to see how McLaurin could fit into Tennessee's offense and how he could help Ward during the early stages of his career. With $30.7 million in cap space, The Titans have the cap space needed to make it happen.
And while Ward will bring excitement to Tennessee this season, the Titans probably aren't jumping into the playoff conversation. They're likely to again pick high in the draft order, which would make a second-round offer enticing.
Tennessee could also throw in 2022 first-round pick Treylon Burks, who has pretty much flopped as a pro. Through three seasons, the Arkansas product has caught 53 passes for 699 yards and a touchdown. At this point, he could probably benefit from a change of scenery.
Acquiring Burks would be a low-risk, high-reward move for the Commanders, who could give the 25-year-old a better QB situation than he's ever had in the NFL.
*Cap and contract information via Spotrac.
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