Philadelphia Eagles: A.J. Brown’s contract has galvanized Terry McLaurin
A.J. Brown is a very rich man.
After three very good seasons in Tennessee – a run that some would consider the best by a wide receiver in franchise history – Brown forced his way to the Philadelphia Eagles and was awarded a four-year, $100 million contract for his efforts; the 12th-richest contract of any non-quarterback in the NFL today.
While the Eagles did protect themselves somewhat, with a potential out in 2025, Brown is guaranteed $57 million no matter how many yards he puts up, which, I believe, is enough money to buy a third of the state of Wyoming.
But Brown’s impact on the NFC East isn’t solely based on his abilities with the Philadelphia Eagles. No, in a very interesting twist of fate, the contract handed out to Brown – plus deals given to players like Deebo Samuel, Tyreek Hill, and Davante Adams – has led to contractual beef between Terry McLaurin and the Washington Commanders.
Terry McLaurin wants that Philadelphia Eagles money from Washington.
On the field, Terry McLaurin is an incredible performer. He’s smooth, versatile, fast, and savvy; a player who can win over top, win underneath, and run a full route tree while serving as the primary offensive option in a passing scheme.
Since entering the NFL as a third-round pick out of Ohio State, McLaurin has averaged 1,030 yards per season and hauled in at least four touchdowns in each of the past three campaigns, which, when you consider just how, um, less-than-advantageous his wide receiving corps has been, is all the more impressive.
On the open market, McLaurin would be the belle of the free agent ball. He would draw interest from pretty much every team in search of a new number one option – and more than a few teams who already have one – and his eventual deal would certainly fetch something in the ballpark of the deal A.J. Brown just signed with the Philadelphia Eagles, maybe even more, considering his production is actually a bit better overall and in 2021.
Unfortunately, at least for McLaurin, the Washington Commanders aren’t looking to re-set the wide receiver market any time soon. According to NFL insider Matt Lombardo, the Commanders’ decision to draft Jahan Dotson, when coupled with their uncertainty about Carson Wentz as a franchise quarterback, makes paying McLaurin a risky proposition, as the team may not be particularly good early in his tenure if at all depending on how their team-building abilities shake out.
This reluctance to pay up for McLaurin has led to the 26-year-old holding out from camp early on with the Commanders, missing his first on-field reps with Carson Wentz. While this holdout could end at any point, and the two sides could ultimately reconvene either to play out the year on his current deal or agree to an alternative arrangement moving forward, it’s never good to see a team’s top offensive option – a player who accounted for 18 percent of his team’s total offensive production in 2021 – have at it with their organization… that is, unless you are a fan of their division rival.
Jalen Hurts has a dish cooking up. dark. Next
How will the Terry McLaurin situation shake out in Washington? Will he sign a new deal with the Commanders, or will the team trade him away like oh so many disgruntled wide receivers before him? Either way, it’s fortunately not the Philadelphia Eagles’ problem, as they locked up their guy and look to have a very good wide receiving corps locked up for the foreseeable future.