Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera issued a pretty strong statement when it came to the future of wide receiver Terry McLaurin in the coming weeks.

In what will be the first year under their new name, the Washington Commanders will be looking to make more of a statement in the NFL than they have in previous seasons. In each of the last two years they have only managed to put up 7 wins, although in 2020 that was still enough to win the NFC East, an indictment of how poor the play was that year.

They have been making some steps in order to make that happen, bringing in Carson Wentz from the Indianapolis Colts as they look to find a more permanent solution at the position, and they also gave him a new weapon when they drafted Jahan Dotson out of Penn State with the 16th pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

But whilst they added one receiver, they might also need to rely on someone that has been a very reliable force for them for the past few years, that being Terry McLaurin.

Who is Terry McLaurin?

McLaurin was picked up by the team in the 3rd round of the 2019 NFL Draft and it’s fair to say that he could be seen as something of a steal considering what he’s been able to produce for them. In his three years so far he has racked up 3,090 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns, including two 1,000+ yard seasons, with the other one falling just short at 919 yards.

Numbers which you would argue warrant an extension on his current contract and there has indeed been some dialogue over a new deal, but as of a few days ago, the two sides are ‘far apart’ when it comes to what they think the magic number should be, with McLaurin set to continue his holdout from the team in response:

It does raise the question, that if the Commanders can’t come to a deal, would it be worth trading him so that they can get back something on their investment, with the Indianapolis Colts being mentioned as potential trade partners. Head coach Rivera though wants to hear nothing of it.

Not on my watch

Speaking to reporters during a press conference, Rivera made his stance perfectly clear over what he wanted to do with the 26-year-old, and he envisioned him staying in the nation’s capital:

You can’t get it any clearer than that, and hopefully his emotions get passed on to those who are around the negotiating table. It’s clear that McLaurin is an effective player for them and if they are to have any success this season, then they need to have him ready to go for the start of the season.

And he isn’t going to be ready if he’s not at the facility, so the team might want to be a little bit more generous with their offer.