It’s been revealed that Washington Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin has requested a trade. He’s been seeking a pay-rise and long-term security, with his current three-year, $68.2m deal due to expire after this season.
His base salary for 2025 is $15.5m so he’s easily affordable in that regard. It’s the future money that will prove costly. He will not unreasonably seek to get into the +$30m a year range.
Would it make sense for the Seahawks to show interest?
Firstly, the case for making a deal. McLaurin is an A+ character player and a well established captain and leader. He is one of the most respected players in the NFL. Adding him to any locker room would be a huge boost.
Even when the Commanders were struggling at quarterback he produced results. He has five straight +1000 yard seasons. The only time he didn’t reach 1000 yards was as a rookie — and he still achieved 919 with seven touchdowns. This has been with the likes of Sam Howell, Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz throwing him the ball.
Once Jayden Daniels arrived in Washington he registered 13 touchdowns in 2024.
He’s also durable. McLaurin hasn’t missed a game since 2020.
It does feel like the Seahawks are a receiver short on their roster. It’s not a major issue. Smith-Njigba is a fantastic talent. Cooper Kupp should be able to provide a nice complement and Elijah Arroyo could be destined to have a big impact as a rookie. Nevertheless, an extra weapon would be useful.
In particular, they need a deep threat. McLaurin actually received a 99.9 grade for deep shots per PFF last season. Three players achieved that mark with the other two being DK Metcalf and George Pickens. Only Ja’Marr Chase and Rashod Bateman scored more touchdowns of +20 yards (they had six, McLaurin had five). His 12 receptions of +20 yards ranked sixth in the NFL. His average depth of target ranked 14th.
You don’t typically think of ‘burner’ when you consider McLaurin but those numbers are interesting. Let’s also not forget he ran a 4.35 at his combine.
I’ve always liked McLaurin, giving him a first round grade in 2019. It was shocking that he lasted to round three, particularly after an outstanding Senior Bowl. He could be a plug-in-and-produce player who hits the ground running.
Now let’s consider some of the reasons it might not be attractive.
He turns 30 in September so this wouldn’t be a long-term investment. You’d have to do a deal similar to the three-year arrangement he had in Washington. It would likely cost you +$30m a year. The Seahawks have plenty of cap space but can they justify spending that much on an outsider at his age? Especially given he’ll want paying now (something the Seahawks have preferred not to do since Percy Harvin) at a time when others might be thinking they deserve to be prioritised.
Does the Klint Kubiak system call for a big splash at receiver? I’m not sure it does — and trading for McLaurin might block the path for some of the younger players they’ve got on the roster currently.
I don’t think it’d create an issue contractually with Smith-Njigba. Due to the fifth-year option, he likely won’t be getting a new deal potentially until 2027 (with a bigger cap-hit not kicking in until 2028). Therefore, you wouldn’t be paying big money to two receivers.
The cost of a trade could be a problem though. Why would Washington send off one of their better players to another team in the NFC? The Seahawks would likely not go any higher than a second rounder given what they received for Metcalf from the Steelers. Would that get it done?
My conclusion is I would seriously consider trading for McLaurin. He can be a deep threat, he’s one of the most mature and professional players in the NFL and he’s been durable in his career. He’s older but so is Leonard Williams and that’s worked out well. They can handle the cap-cost and they need another receiver who can produce results in 2025. I’m just not convinced how easy it’ll be to negotiate a trade with Washington.
