ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Terry McLaurin is not at Washington Commanders mandatory minicamp as the team’s top wide receiver looks for a new contract.
McLaurin, who turns 30 in September, is only signed through the next NFL season.
“Hey, sometimes football and business, they intersect and this is one of those times,” coach Dan Quinn said Tuesday. “Terry is a fantastic teammate and really puts in the work, and we spent a lot of time with him already this offseason.”
McLaurin has surpassed 1,000 yards receiving each of the past five seasons and fell only 81 short in his rookie year because he missed games because of an injury.
A third-round pick in 2019 out of Ohio State who dealt with quarterback roulette for the quite some time after breaking into the league, McLaurin set career highs with 82 catches and 13 touchdowns with Jayden Daniels as the starter and Marcus Mariota the backup.
Quinn downplayed McLaurin not being there, saying the good news is the wideout and QBs have already established strong rapport. He’s leaving the negotiating part to general manager Adam Peters.
“The business side of things, Adam and their crew and Terry and his group, let them work through that,” Quinn said. “But in the meantime, lots of stuff to do.”
MORE COMMANDERS NEWS
ASHBURN, Va. (AP) — Jayden Daniels evades the topic as if he’s an oncoming pass rusher and ducks away from the questions as if he’s avoiding a sack.
It sure looks as if the Washington Commanders’ franchise quarterback has bulked up, adding some muscle after his AP Offensive Rookie of the Year season. He just won’t say how much and insists it was not a particular mission of his.
“That’s up for grabs — I don’t know,” Daniels said Wednesday after an offseason practice session. “I was just working out. It wasn’t about this amount or much. Just go out there, have a plan and naturally just put on weight.”
Daniels is happy to let others talk about his weight, and that extends to his teammates and coaches. They notice, chalking it up to him being a competitor looking to gain another edge.
Kliff Kingsbury, back for a second season as offensive coordinator, has not seen what Daniels is lifting but observes the 24-year-old looking a little thicker.
“He’s still pretty lean, but he’s definitely worked really hard at his fitness and the weight room,” Kingsbury said. “He knows what he has to do to protect himself and where he feels comfortable playing. But the arm strength: He looks better, and you can tell he’s stronger. There’s no doubt.”
