Commanders OC Talks Terry McLaurin, Hasn't Been Much 'Contact' amid Contract Rumors

The Washington Commanders are running out of time to get something done with wide receiver Terry McLaurin ahead of their Sept. 7 opener against the New York Giants, and there apparently hasn't been much "contact" of late.

"There hasn't been a ton of contact," offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said Friday, per Adam Kilgore of the Washington Post. "He's been here, but he's been working with trainers." 

Kingsbury also gave a nod to the schedule and said, "We're kind of at that point where we need to start getting those guys when they're available out there and gelling and see what we are."

McLaurin is the team's No. 1 option in the aerial attack, so it's not as if the Commanders aren't going to immediately put him in the lineup whenever the two sides do reach a contract agreement.

But Kingsbury surely feels the wide receiver is missing value reps, especially in an offense that now features Deebo Samuel in the wide receiver room. McLaurin and Samuel would be quite the one-two punch of pass-catchers who could take advantage of opposing defenses focusing too much on the other, but they are yet to practice together at this point.

McLaurin started training camp by holding in and then requested a trade. Perhaps it was all part of a negotiation process, but ESPN's John Keim reported Wednesday that "nothing has boosted momentum toward a deal."

Keim noted age "remains the biggest sticking point" since McLaurin will be 31 years old when an extension starts.

He also pointed to DK Metcalf's contract ($33 million average annual value and $60 million in guarantees) as a potential blueprint for the Ohio State product since they were in the same draft class and have largely put up similar numbers.

Ultimately, Washington's offense is far more dangerous when McLaurin is on the field. And Kingsbury admitted it is a "work in progress" that won't be complete until the missing pieces are available:

That season opener is looming for a team with clear and realistic Super Bowl aspirations. Deadlines have made deals in the past, and Commanders fans surely hope that is the case again in this instance.

Otherwise, that Lombardi Trophy might seem just a bit further away.