Jan 26, 2025; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) runs with the ball for a touchdown against the Philadelphia Eagles during the first half in the NFC Championship game at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images Terry McLaurin has requested a trade from the Washington Commanders after the wide receiver hasn’t seen any progress on a contract extension.
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, teams have reached out to the Commanders about a trade for the disgruntled receiver.
It would feel foolish to trade a superstar wide receiver with a roster that looks ready to compete for a Super Bowl, but it’s not unprecedented. If the Commanders believe that second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels could elevate the cast around him, they could look to flip their 2019 third-round pick for something more significant.
At just 29 years old, somebody would gladly trade for McLaurin and extend him. Let’s take a look at which teams could emerge as suitors if this situation continues to sour.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Jul 25, 2025; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) participates in drills during training camp at Saint Vincent College. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images The Steelers have Aaron Rodgers at quarterback. That’s the good news.
The bad news? It’s a roster that does have some holes and they play in the toughest division in football.
If Pittsburgh fails to win its first playoff game since 2017, the Rodgers experiment will look like a failure — and the Steelers are going to be too talented to land a top-end quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Insert Terry McLaurin. The Steelers traded headcase receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys this offseason, but also landed DK Metcalf from the Seattle Seahawks.
McLaurin would give Arthur Smith’s offense a bona fide wide receiver No. 2 and would give Rodgers enough weapons to keep pace with the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals.
Tennessee Titans
Jul 23, 2025; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks (16) goes through drills during training camp at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images Going from the team that shocked the NFL to the team that had the No. 1 overall pick wouldn’t be great for McLaurin’s legacy, but the Titans have the cap space to pull something like this off.
Not to mention, nothing says supporting No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward quite like McLaurin entering his prime.
Earlier this week, the Titans released former first-round pick Treylon Burks, who was simply too injured to make it in the NFL. They have Calvin Ridley, Tyler Lockett and Van Jefferson without a whole lot else. McLaurin would be a major upgrade.
Las Vegas Raiders
Apr 25, 2025; Henderson, NV, USA; Las Vegas Raiders first round draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft Ashton Jeanty, speaks to the media at Intermountain Health Performance Center. Mandatory Credit: Candice Ward-Imagn Images The Raiders traded for Geno Smith and drafted Ashton Jeanty. They are clearly taking their offense more seriously with new head coach Pete Carroll.
But with Davante Adams on the Los Angeles Rams, the top receiver in Vegas is Jakobi Meyers.
The Raiders should trade for McLaurin. If they don’t, you should draft tight end Brock Bowers in fantasy football.
New England Patriots
May 9, 2025; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel speaks the to media during a press conference at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images For the same reason as the Titans, the Patriots should inquire about McLaurin to help develop second-year quarterback Drake Maye.
The Patriots have a bunch of receivers, but none of them are all that great. Stefon Diggs and McLaurin would be a nice tandem with Mack Hollins and Kyle Williams to support.
Maybe the Commanders could take a flier on Ja’Lynn Polk as part of the package, who seems like the odd man out in New England.
Not to mention, new head coach Mike Vrabel would probably love to get his hands on a fellow Buckeye.
Cleveland Browns
Dec 24, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; Cleveland Browns quarterback Joe Flacco (15) passes against the Houston Texans in the first quarter at NRG Stadium. credits: Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports Unlike the other teams on this list, the Browns seem to be sputtering without much of a direction because of their unresolved quarterback situation.
But last year, wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was a lone bright spot. He had 90 receptions for 1,229 yards and four touchdowns.
Imagine Jeudy and McLaurin together.
All of a sudden, the Browns would just need to lose enough games to package their two first-round picks together and draft the top quarterback in 2026.
Browns general manager Andrew Berry loves trading for wide receivers — he does it almost every year. The Browns have also paid a lot of money to be a bad football team. Don’t sleep on this.
