Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin recently broke his silence on the issue of his contract holdout, and how talks about a possible contract extension have been going for him.
After missing most of the 2024-2025 season, Terry McLaurin finally showed up to training camp to join his teammates, and even talked to reporters about how a potential contract extension is going for him.
In a response to one question, McLaurin opened up about how “tough” his situation can be, and how, at the end of the day, the NFL is still business.
“Yeah, man, it’s tough,” McLaurin said. “But you know, it’s the business right now. Just trying to take things day by day.”
Terry McLaurin speaks for the first time after showing back up for his hold-in. pic.twitter.com/ftcLV8JtsN
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) July 27, 2025
In the NFL, a contract hold-in occurs when a player deliberately skips voluntary or mandatory team activities to increase leverage in negotiations, risking fines or even placement on the non-football injury list to underscore their demand for a new deal.
Terry McLaurin got into a holdout by missing much of Washington’s offseason workouts and reporting late to training camp as he pushed for an extension befitting his breakout 2024 season.
The three-time Pro Bowler, fresh off a career-best 82 catches for 1,093 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2024, refused to take the field until the franchise offered a contract that reflected his breakout production. McLaurin weighed potential fines and lost practice reps against the leverage of withholding his elite talent, finally reporting and admitting that watching from the sideline was “tough” but necessary to secure his long-term financial future.
The McLaurin stalemate is only one of several high-profile contract dramas that have NFL fans on edge this summer: in Dallas, Micah Parsons remains locked in a public standoff—complete with “Pay Micah!” chants ringing through Cowboys camp.
Meanwhile, receivers like Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson and Chicago’s D.J. Moore enter the final season of their rookie deals, leaving supporters eagerly awaiting blockbuster extensions across the league.
Terry McLaurin Extension Has No Progress, Claims Insider
Despite Terry McLaurin appearing at the Commanders’ training camp and breaking his silence on the issue of his contract extension, an insider revealed that the real picture behind the scenes does not look as bright.
“This is not a sign of progress for a contract extension, ESPN’s John Keim said on the “John Keim Report” podcast. “I’ve been told by multiple people, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of movement. Both sides are pretty firm on how they view the situation.”
Terry McLaurin’s mysterious four-day holdout resulted in $200,000 in fines from the Commanders, per the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement, at a rate of $50,000 per day.
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