Terry McLaurin Receives $96 Million After A Hold-In With The Washington Commanders

Every offseason, we see players holding out in hopes of a larger contract. They'll skip attending mandatory training camps or other team activities, not joining their team until they get paid what they're worth. More recently, some guys have opted to conduct a hold-in, which includes reporting to mandatory training camp and being on-site during team activities.

Hold-ins generally allow players to avoid incurring fines for missing vital team activities. And, as we've just seen, they can also lead to lucrative contract offers.

The Washington Commanders and wide receiver Terry McLaurin agreed to a three-year extension worth up to $96 million. McLaurin will also get a $30 million signing bonus as part of the deal.

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McLaurin has been the top receiver on the Commanders for multiple seasons, something he hoped would lead to a quick extension. However, McLaurin and Washington couldn't agree on a deal. The receiver voiced his displeasure during a mid-July interview and requested a trade on July 31, but the Commanders never planned to trade their disgruntled star.

The delay seemed to be the Commanders looking to avoid two common trends in team history: paying a player as he's declining and overpaying to retain someone already on the team. McLaurin will turn 31 when this extension starts, and many receivers are on the downward slope of their career at that point. But the Commanders and owner Joshua Harris eventually agreed to a deal after crunching the numbers and determining McLaurin could buck these trends.

A two-time Pro Bowler, McLaurin has recorded at least 1,000 receiving yards in each of the past five seasons. He emerged as a favorite target of quarterback Jayden Daniels, who won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award last season.

McLaurin actually did hold out earlier this summer. He missed a three-day minicamp in June and the first four days of July's training camp, costing him a combined $304,768. He eventually reported, though he missed a couple of additional weeks after being placed on the physically unable to perform list with an ankle injury. He was activated on August 16 and should be ready to roll for the season opener.

Losing over $300,000 is tough. But it's a bit easier to handle when you can turn that money into a $30 million bonus.