While Terry McLaurin and Washington’s front office continue to work through contract negotiations amid the wide receiver’s training camp holdout, veteran Commanders All-Pro linebacker and team captain Bobby Wagner shared his stance on the situation this week.
Wagner re-signed with the Commanders on a one-year deal this offseason and is prepping for his 14th NFL season.
“I think guys like to, at least myself, it’s a business and some business is not your business,” Wagner said Wednesday. “You know what I mean? You let them take care of the things that they need to take care of and you focus on yourself… understand that he’s still part of the team and has a huge presence in the locker room. He’s an amazing figure in this community and this locker room.
“[He’s] somebody we’re excited to have whenever the business (side) gets worked out. You sit there and you wait and you hope something gets done. When it gets done, you celebrate it, bring him in and we move on. We talk about real [numbers], so let business take care of business.”
Wagner is a leading voice inside the locker room and is coming off another statistically-noteworthy campaign last fall. The second-team All-Pro finished with 132 tackles, two sacks and four passes defended in 17 games.
McLaurin did not report this week when training camp began and is entering the final season of a three-year, $71 million extension.
Commanders general manager Adam Peters said Tuesday the team is doing what it can to take care of McLaurin. Judging by Wagner’s opinion, it doesn’t seem like McLaurin’s absence is affecting the team and the expectation is that he’ll soon return.
“Yeah, I mean, first, I think without a doubt, I think everybody in this building values Terry very much,” Peters said. “And we knew that coming in and we knew that even more after spending a year with him. In terms of where we’re at, we’ve had conversations recently and we’ll look to have more conversations. We’re going to do everything we can in order to get a deal done.”
McLaurin broke his silence last week on where negotiations stand with the Commanders. He is set to make $15.5 million this season, which puts McLaurin as the league’s 17th-highest paid receiver, according to Spotrac.
Washington signed free agent wideout Tay Martin this week to potentially cover a roster void at the position if McLaurin’s holdout continues. He was a member of the Tennessee Titans‘ practice squad last fall before his first career catch came via a 49-yard touchdown repletion in the finale against the Houston Texans.
McLaurin was responsible for a franchise-record 13 touchdown catches last season, helping Jayden Daniels win NFL Rookie of the Year honors.
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Author: Brad Crawford
July 23, 2025 | 2:45 pm
