Patriots Rumors: Possible Price Tag For Disgruntled Commanders’ Terry McLaurin

With less than two weeks until training camp, there’s still time for the New England Patriots to make a big-time upgrade on offense. That’s because wide receiver Terry McLaurin remains locked in a contract dispute with the Washington Commanders.

The Pro Bowler skipped mandatory minicamp last month while looking for a new deal. He’s in the final year of a three-year, $68 million contract he signed in 2022.

So how much could McLaurin expect to see if he gets a new deal? CBS Sports Joel Corry, a former sports agent, ran the numbers.

“Ja’Marr Chase sets the bar for wide receiver compensation. He became the league’s highest-paid non-quarterback with the four-year, $161 million extension averaging $40.25 million per year. … Chase’s deal has $109.8 million of guarantees where $73.9 million was fully guaranteed at signing,” Corry wrote about the wideout’s deal he signed in March.

“McLaurin expecting some sort of trickle down effect from Chase’s contract where he bridges this gap will likely be a deal breaker for the Commanders,” Corry continued.

“A potentially important data point to McLaurin is the four-year extension averaging nearly $33 million per year DK Metcalf received from the Pittsburgh Steelers in connection with his March trade from the Seattle Seahawks shortly before Chase signed. Metcalf is a part of the 2019 draft class, just like McLaurin. … The deal has $80 million in guarantees where $60 million was fully guaranteed at signing,” Corry added.

So where does that leave McLaurin? “It’s hard to envision a realistic scenario where McLaurin accepts less than Brandon Aiyuk’s $30 million per year in an extension even though there is an age difference between the two. Aiyuk signed a four-year, $120 million extension with the 49ers containing $76 million in guarantees,” Corry concluded.

Keep in mind, the Patriots already added former Pro Bowl receiver Stefon Diggs, giving him a three-year, $63.5 million contract. Of course, the 31-year-old Diggs is coming off a torn ACL which cut short his 2024 season with the Houston Texans.

If the Patriots want to trade for McLaurin, would they be comfortable giving him a nine-figure contract?

McLaurin, 29, is a two-time Pro Bowl selection with five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. He caught a career-best 13 touchdowns last year, teaming with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to help the Commanders reach the NFC Championship Game.

And don’t overlook the fact McLaurin is durable. He hasn’t missed a game in the last four seasons.

According to OverTheCap and Spotrac, the Patriots have around $61 million in cap space this year, which means signing McLaurin to a long-term contract extension is doable, at least in the short term.

Giving sophomore quarterback Drake Maye a receiving tandem of McLaurin and Diggs could help return New England to the playoffs for the first time in four years, so it’s worth monitoring how the contract stalemate plays out.