The Washington Commanders are facing some uncertainty with wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who is in the midst of a holdout over his contract.
McLaurin was present at OTAs but reportedly left amid his unhappiness with the lack of progress on an extension, according to FOX Sports’ Jordan Schultz.
It remains to be seen if Washington will oblige McLaurin on a new contract, but if not there is a chance the Commanders could trade him if he doesn’t budge and decides not to play.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox took that into consideration in a recent article and listed trade six proposals that could sway the Commanders to part with McLaurin.
One of those proposals saw a trade with the New York Jets that give Washington a 2026 second-round pick and running back Breece Hall in exchange for McLaurin, running back Austin Ekeler and a 2026 fifth-round pick.
- Jets Get: WR Terry McLaurin, RB Austin Ekeler, 2026 5th-round pick
- Commanders Get: 2026 2nd-round pick, RB Breece Hall
“Theoretically, the Jets could alleviate one contract situation by sending out Hall in a trade,” Knox wrote. “While Hall has been a quality starter for New York when healthy, the Jets added Wisconsin product Braelon Allen in last year’s draft. With Fields perfectly capable of augmenting the ground game, the Jets may have no interest in extending Hall with a top-of-the-market contract.
“The 24-year-old would fit Washington’s new Daniels-centric timeline than 30-year-old Austin Ekeler,” he added. “Including a running back swap in this deal would allow the Commanders to get younger in the backfield while giving New York depth as it eyes a new backfield tandem in 2026.”
Entering the final year of his contract, Hall has drawn trade speculation because of that, and after the Jets revealed their plans for a three-man backfield that will also include Braelon Allen and Isaiah Davis, which might not sit well with Hall, who obviously wants as much work as possible.
Meanwhile, the Jets could use more help at wide receiver, especially if the team decides to trade veteran Allen Lazard, who may be looking to reunite with Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh.
Nabbing McLaurin would give the Jets one of the better duos at wide receiver in the NFL when combined with Garrett Wilson, which will put Justin Fields in a much better position to succeed.
Ekeler offers the Jets help in the difficult task of replacing Hall and can be the team’s third-down back to complement Allen and Davis.
New York would have to pony up the dough to McLaurin to keep him happy, but that’s something the Jets can afford to do with their projected financial situation over the next few years.
For the Commanders, they land an electric back in Hall, who will add an explosive element to Washington’s offense while also being a fantastic complement to Brian Robinson. Hall has chops as a pass-catcher, as well, so he’d be a great benefit to Jayden Daniels in the wake of him losing his top receiver.
There’s no question the Commanders would rather hold on to McLaurin, but their hand could be forced if the five-time 1,000-yard receiver doesn’t change his mind.
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