The contract standoff between the Washington Commanders and superstar wide receiver Terry McLaurin persists, but the two sides took what could be a small step toward smoothing things over on Saturday.
After initially placing McLaurin on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list following a brief holdout to start training camp, the Commanders have officially announced his activation.
McLaurin has formally requested a trade from the Commanders, and a sizable gap remains in their contract negotiations, but offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury extended a tiny olive branch this week.
While meeting with reporters on Friday, Kingsbury expressed a desire for McLaurin to return to the fold, noting that the offense is weaker with him on the sideline. It seemed like more of a plea to ownership than a plea to McLaurin himself.
“I’m huge on walk-thrus, on practice and things like that, because until you get on the grass and actually do it, feel the timing and the depths and routes and things of that nature. I don’t know exactly how much you can get out of (only attending meetings), he said, via the New York Post.
“So I think we’re kind of at that point to where we need to start getting those guys, when they’re available, out there and jelling to see where we are as an offense.”
McLaurin has one year remaining on a three-year, $68 million extension that was signed in 2022. If this holdout lingers into the regular season, the two-time Pro Bowler will lose $861,111 for each game he misses (including the bye week).
