State of the NFC East: Washington Commanders take care of WR Terry McLaurin with 3-year, $71M extension

This offseason has seen plenty of movement at the wide receiver position and it has impacted a majority of the NFC East. On the night that the NFL Draft began the Philadelphia Eagles traded for then-Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown and gave him a brand 4-year, $100M extension shortly after that ties him to the City of Brotherly Love for the foreseeable future.

As we all know it was a few weeks before then that the Dallas Cowboys traded away Amari Cooper for what was essentially a fifth-round pick. All of this cemented Brown as the most-established receiver in the division although Washington’s Terry McLaurin was certainly in the mix for that title as well.

There had been some speculation that the Commanders might lose McLaurin this offseason due to contract demands of his own. But all of that is history now.

The Washington Commanders have given Terry McLaurin a 3-year extension worth up to $71M

As noted there have been new receiver deals after new receiver deals over the last few months which has pushed different pass-catchers to the brink of drawing a line in the sand with their respective teams.

Deebo Samuel seems to be the only one who hasn’t gotten what he wanted to date because Terry McLaurin just got paid by the Washington Commanders.

McLaurin’s new deal puts him among the highest-paid receivers in the game which is obviously what he was aiming for. Given everything that he has accomplished during his time in Washington, with the carousel of quarterbacks he has dealt with, it is hard to disagree that he has more than earned it.

The Commanders are a bit of a meme but they have a not-exactly-bad offense on paper. McLaurin is happy, Jahan Dotson has a lot of potential as their first-round pick, and Carson Wentz is the most legitimate quarterback that they have had since Kirk Cousins.

Obviously it would have been nice had McLaurin left the Commanders as any time a division rival sees a talented player leave for greener pastures it benefits the Cowboys, but McLaurin is here to stay for the time being.

Also the way the wide receiver market now looks is very much worth monitoring considering the fact that CeeDee Lamb is eligible for a new deal next offseason.