Dark-Horse Trade Landing Spots for Terry McLaurin Amid Contract Dispute

Terry McLaurin is coming off a breakout season in which he helped lead his Washington Commanders to an unexpected NFC Championship Game appearance, but there are now real concerns that might be his swan song with the organization.

ESPN's Jeremy Fowler appeared on a recent episode of SportsCenter and revealed the star wide receiver is "not happy where things are with an extension."

On The Pat McAfee Show, ESPN's Adam Schefter highlighted a problematic lack of updates on talks between McLaurin and Washington's brass.

The 29-year-old has already skipped mandatory team activities while seeking a new deal. He's entering the final season of a three-year, $68.4 million extension and has a base salary of only $15.5 million this season.

With eight wideouts now boasting deals with an annual average value of $30 million or more, the two-time Pro Bowler has a legitimate argument to earn far more than he is currently drawing from the Commanders.

Washington has $21.6 million in available cap space, so it has ways to fit a market-value extension in for McLaurin on the books. The team has quarterback Jayden Daniels locked in on an affordable rookie-scale deal that could run through the 2028 season, a clear window during which the Commanders can conceivably compete for Super Bowls if they manage to keep their core intact.

If they can't come to terms with McLaurin, a trade would be the most likely way to break the impasse. Plenty of receiver-needy squads with cap space to burn should be willing to extend him immediately after acquiring his services.

With that in mind, let's highlight some of the more intriguing, dark-horse landing spots for McLaurin should he wind up on the trade block.

Buffalo Bills

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

After coming up painfully short in the postseason yet again, the Buffalo Bills had a surprisingly quiet offseason in terms of upgrading their skill-position talent.

While the front office is seemingly content letting MVP Josh Allen elevate the smattering of solid but unspectacular receivers currently on the roster, it would still be in Buffalo's best interest to acquire a superstar in the trade market.

McLaurin would instantly become Allen's top target and perfectly augment the versatile Khalil Shakir and developing Keon Coleman to form the nucleus of a passing attack that has potential rate among the best in the league.

With veterans like Joshua Palmer, Elijah Moore and Laviska Shenault Jr. rounding out the roster, the Buffalo receivers room would also be one of the NFL's deepest following the addition of McLaurin.

Although Allen had a transcendent season and led Buffalo to a sixth consecutive playoff berth last year, the team hasn't advanced beyond the AFC Championship Game since 1993.

The lack of a true No. 1 receiver was clearly felt at times last year as well, with Shakir's middling 821 yards and 76 receptions pacing the team.

McLaurin is coming off an 82-catch, 1,096-yard campaign—marking the fifth straight year in which he has caught at least 77 passes and breached the 1,000-yard mark—to go along with a career-high 13 touchdown receptions (Mack Hollins led the Bills with five in 2024.) The Commanders star would make for an ideal No. 1 in Buffalo.

While the Bills only have a league-low $125,000 in cap space to work with at this juncture, they could free up the money for a McLaurin extension through a series of contract restructures and cuts.

If they're willing to part with a first-round pick in addition to completing those cap maneuvers, it wouldn't be a shock to see McLaurin land in western New York.

Las Vegas Raiders

AP Photo/Denis Poroy

The Las Vegas Raiders have indicated an intention to win now with their offseason moves.

By hiring Pete Carroll to take over as head coach and trading for Geno Smith to fill their quarterback void, they vastly upgraded two key pieces of the contention puzzle.

Adding McLaurin could be exactly what the Raiders need to finish that puzzle and get back in the playoff mix for the first time since 2021.

While other moves—such as drafting a potential star running back in Ashton Jeanty on Day 1 and signing veteran defensive talents such as Jeremy Chinn and Eric Stokes—will help Vegas compete, there is still a real need to upgrade the receiving corps.

The Raiders did utilize a decent amount of draft capital to bolster their receiving corps, selecting Jack Bech in the second round and adding Dont'e Thornton Jr. in the fourth. However, the roster still lacks a proven, reliable wideout outside of Jakobi Meyers.

As well as Meyers played during his limited stint as Vegas' No. 1 receiver—he posted career highs of 87 catches and 1,027 receiving yards in addition to four touchdowns—he’s far better suited to working as a sidekick paired up with a true star at the position.

McLaurin has been one of the NFL's most consistent pass-catchers over the past half-decade. Despite working with 13 different starting quarterbacks since he entered the league in 2019, the Washington standout has recorded an impressive 460 catches for 6,379 yards and 38 touchdowns for his career.

His ability to produce with any QB in any system makes him the ideal target for Las Vegas to pursue. Even if he only has a limited time to prepare in offensive coordinator Chip Kelly's scheme following a trade, McLaurin would still find a way to put up numbers and help the Raiders win in 2025 should they put a strong enough offer on the table.

Los Angeles Chargers

AP Photo/Andrew Harnik

The Los Angeles Chargers fared better than many expected in head coach Jim Harbaugh's first season at the helm. They won 11 games and made a surprise playoff appearance, but it won't be easy to build on that campaign without some help.

McLaurin could be just who the Chargers need to jump-start their passing attack.

The Bolts have been struggling to field productive wideouts in recent years, with rookie Ladd McConkey becoming the only L.A. pass-catcher besides Keenan Allen to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in the last three seasons.

As great as McConkey was in 2024, the team needs to provide quarterback Justin Herbert with more assistance to be an aerial threat going forward.

The L.A. passing offense was exposed in the Wild Card Round last season. Herbert went just 14-of-32 for 242 yards and had only one touchdown along with four interceptions during yet another embarrassing playoff defeat.

The 27-year-old signal-caller is now 0-2 in his postseason starts with a 52 percent completion rate and double the number of picks as scoring passes.

Los Angeles did attempt to rectify the issue this offseason, drafting Tre Harris in Round 2 and KeAndre Lambert-Smith three rounds later. These players both have bright futures, but they may not be ready to make a major impact as rookies.

Bringing back longtime Charger Mike Williams was the only other notable transaction the Bolts made to reinforce their receiving corps. It remains to be seen if he has anything left in the tank, as the once-prolific scoring threat produced a meek 21/298/1 stat line last season despite being healthy for 18 games between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rather than hope the first-year receivers can step up or Williams can turn back the clock, the Chargers should instead put a first-round offer on the table for McLaurin—a move that would guarantee a significant uptick in the passing production should the Washington Commanders accept.

Tennessee Titans

AP Photo/Daniel Kucin Jr.

The Tennessee Titans are at the onset of a new era following their selection of Cam Ward with the No. 1 overall pick.

With Ward at the helm, Tennessee finally has a path toward contention after a three-year rebuilding period that resulted in a league-worst 3-14 record in 2024.

While quarterback was the biggest missing piece going into the offseason, the results of free agency and the draft have left the receiver position as the Titans' most glaring hole heading into training camp. Ward's current crop of receivers lacks proven options in their prime.

Free-agent pickups Van Jefferson and Tyler Lockett are both coming off unproductive seasons and have struggled with health in recent years.

Even incumbent No. 1 WR Calvin Ridley, who put up 1,017 receiving yards in his first Titans season, is on the wrong side of 30 and accumulated a relatively meager 64 receptions in 2024.

McLaurin may not be the youngest player either as he gears up for his age-30 campaign, but he is still in his prime and played arguably the best football of his career last year. He earned a second Pro Bowl nod and a spot on the All-Pro second team for putting up an 82/1,096/13 line—nearly doubling his previous career-high mark in touchdowns.   

Adding a veteran presence like McLaurin into this receivers room—which also features a pair of fourth-round rookies in Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike—could be what Ward needs for a successful NFL debut.

If the Titans want to go all-in with Ward and orchestrate a worst-to-first turnaround like the Houston Texans and Cincinnati Bengals have done in recent years, the front office shouldn't hesitate to offer up a good bit of Day 2 capital along with a failed prospect who needs a change of scenery in Treylon Burks to sweeten the pot.