3 best trade destinations for Washington Commanders WR Terry McLaurin

Washington Commanders‘ wide receiver Terry McLaurin has been a model of consistency, and he wants to get paid for it, as the career-long Washington receiver is holding out from the team’s mandatory minicamp for a new contract.

McLaurin, who’s entering the final season of a three-year, $68.4 million deal, has totaled 1,000-plus receiving yards in each of the past five seasons and posted a career-high 13 receiving touchdowns in 2024. The wideout is young superstar quarterback Jayden Daniels‘ No. 1 weapon in the team’s passing game; it’s of the essence that Washington has him in the building if it wishes to contend for the NFC next season.

With all that said, the possibility exists that the two sides don’t find common ground before training camp. And on that note, here are the three best trade destinations for McLaurin, should the receiver and the Commanders fail to reach a deal before Week 1 of the 2025 NFL regular season.

Terry McLaurin has been Washington’s leading receiver in each of his six NFL seasons. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

The Cardinals have a lot to be bullish on offensively, but maybe they could make a move for a No. 1 wide receiver similar to when they acquired DeAndre Hopkins from the Houston Texans in 2020?

McLaurin, a two-time Pro Bowler, would become Arizona’s No. 1 wide receiver from the jump. Working under the mindset that wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., the No. 4 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, makes a jump from Year 1 to Year 2, the Cardinals could have a deadly one-two wideout punch with McLaurin and Harrison. And that’s without mentioning star tight end Trey McBride — who was fourth in the NFL with 111 receptions last season — the engine of Arizona’s passing game.

Kyler Murray is entering his second full season back from his 2022 torn ACL and is still one of the NFL’s most mobile quarterbacks. Running back James Conner is a battering ram in the backfield. Combine Murray and Conner on the ground, with the trio of McLaurin, Harrison and McBride in the passing game and the Cardinals have one of the most dynamic offenses in the NFL. This could be what lifts them to the top of the NFC West.

Despite all that excitement, though, the Cardinals may benefit more from making a blockbuster move on the defensive side of the ball, as they’re already investing top-dollar/high draft picks in multiple offensive skill players (Harrison was a top-five pick, McBride signed a four-year, $76 million extension this offseason and Conner signed a two-year, $19 million extension in November).

Terry McLaurin helped the Commanders reach the NFC Championship Game last season. (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images)

The Broncos were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, winning 10 games and earning a wild-card berth with rookie quarterback Bo Nix. Now, it’s about building on last season, and acquiring a new No. 1 wide receiver like McLaurin would help them do just that.

Denver has a combination of budding young receivers in Marvin Mims Jr., Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin and just took Illinois receiver Pat Bryant with the No. 74 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Plus, Courtland Sutton is coming off arguably the best season of his career, totaling a career-high 81 receptions for 1,081 yards and eight touchdowns, and the Broncos added tight end Evan Engram to their pass-catching core.

They have a lot of respectable playmakers, but the Broncos just had an encouraging season that ended with them scoring seven points in a wild-card round loss to the Buffalo Bills. They’re also in a highly competitive AFC West, headlined by the Kansas City Chiefs, and are part of a loaded AFC: Why would any AFC team settle for what they have?

McLaurin would be a welcome addition to Denver’s receiving room and help alleviate the reliance that the franchise has put on its young receivers to all pan out. A scenario exists where Nix could have a sluggish Year 2 after putting a lot of impressive plays on film in Year 1 (e.g., Dak Prescott in 2017 and C.J. Stroud in 2024). If that indeed takes place, having an improved pass-catching core around Nix can help offset that potential downtick in production. With McLaurin, one knows exactly what they’re getting: a steady and durable downfield weapon who can shoulder the bulk of secondaries’ attention.

At the same time, Denver may feel that it has done enough on defense this offseason (it signed safety Talanoa Hufanga , linebacker Dre Greenlaw and selected Texas cornerback Jahdae Barron with its first-round pick, among other moves) to improve as a collective whole and would also prefer to keep its combined wide receiver salaries at a minimum, which building out the position group with draft selections helps do and acquiring McLaurin would go against.

Terry McLaurin’s contract expires after the 2025 NFL season. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

All things considered, winning 11 games and making the playoffs in Year 1 with Jim Harbaugh as head coach was a success for the Chargers. At the same time, Justin Herbert threw four interceptions in their wild-card round loss to the Texans, and the Chargers could definitely use more firepower on that side of the ball.

Ladd McConkey had a spectacular rookie season. But outside the now-second-year receiver, the Chargers have received scattered performances from the position as a whole. Quentin Johnston has had his moments but has been inconsistent; he had a career-high eight receiving touchdowns but also seven dropped passes last season. While McConkey is certainly capable of being the primary catalyst in the Chargers’ passing game, McLaurin would give Herbert the proven, long-standing star receiver that trading away Keenan Allen last offseason deprived him of.

With McConkey getting open underneath and being versatile enough to rip off chunk plays, McLaurin won’t be the center of defensive attention, like he has been his entire career in Washington. McLaurin, McConkey and second-round draft pick Tre Harris would give Herbert a balanced and impactful receiving trio to lean on.

Of course, part of the Chargers’ passing game being underwhelming last season (213.5 passing yards per game, 19th in the NFL) is that they became more of a running team with new offensive coordinator Greg Roman; Los Angeles rushed for 110.7 yards per game in 2024, compared to 96.6 yards per game in 2023. Meanwhile, Herbert actually posted a career-best 101.7 passer rating and threw for a career-low three interceptions in the regular season.

Like the Broncos, the Chargers have endless hurdles to clear in the AFC. Sitting back and just banking on internal improvement sounds nice and is cost-effective, but if an opportunity to improve at a reasonable price emerges, it has to be pondered. McLaurin could be the jolt that the Chargers’ passing game needs.

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