Washington Commanders All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin sent shockwaves throughout the organization on Thursday by reportedly requesting a trade. It’s a last-ditch effort to instill some urgency in the Commanders or force a trade to a team willing to pay on the long-term deal he currently seeks.
So far, the Commanders haven’t shown a willingness to listen to trade offers, but that could potentially change if the situation continues to stall. McLaurin is apparently holding in at training camp, and the team will ultimately have to decide whether to call his bluff or make a move.
If they choose the trade route, the New England Patriots should be at the top of the list of interested teams. NFL insider Albert Breer said in July that he thinks the Patriots would be “very interested” in a potential trade for McLaurin.
But at what cost?
Any team interested in trading for McLaurin would have to fork over a quality draft pick and maybe even a player, given Washington’s current receivers room. They would probably want another veteran wideout to help ease the pain of losing their best playmaker.
The Patriots probably wouldn’t entertain a 2026 first-round draft pick, unless they expect to be good enough in 2025 to be picking late in the round. So they’d have to do some self-reflection on that part. With that said, a second-round pick combined with a veteran player, like Kendrick Bourne or Kayshon Boutte, would make sense in a move.
The Patriots could then offer McLaurin a deal for $30 million annually to bring him in line with some of the other top receivers in the league. A top receiving corps of McLaurin, Diggs, Demario Douglas and Kyle Williams would be a complete game-changer.
McLaurin has accumulated over 1,000 receiving yards in five consecutive seasons, and he is a strong locker room leader with experience working with a young quarterback. It’s a no-brainer deal on the Patriots’ end. For the Commanders, however, it would be a huge loss.
One would think they’d work toward bridging the gap in some way, but their loss would most certainly be a massive gain for the Patriots.
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