Mayhew to meet with McLaurin agent for extension talks

INDIANAPOLIS — Washington Commanders general manager Martin Mayhew said Wednesday he plans to meet with Terry McLaurin’s agent this week to discuss an extension for the star wide receiver. 

The meeting is one of several that the executive has lined up with agents ahead of free agency later this month. McLaurin is not scheduled to be a free agent until 2023, but the 26-year-old is now eligible for a new deal having just completed his third season.

Besides McLaurin, Mayhew has met with or has plans to meet with representatives for safety Landon Collins, wideout Cam Sims, safety Bobby McCain and J.D McKissic. The latter three are scheduled to become free agents this month unless the sides come to a new deal prior to March 14, the day players can legally begin negotiating with other teams.

“We’d love to have Terry sign,” Mayhew said. “We’ll talk to his agent here and kind of get a feel for (a timeline.)”

There may not be a hurry for either side to get a deal done immediately. The Commanders will likely address their quarterback situation first and also have to go about free agency. McLaurin, on the other hand, could stand to benefit from waiting to see if Seattle’s D.K. Metcalf and Tennessee’s A.J. Brown — two other star wideouts from the 2019 draft — get extensions first. 

But publicly, both sides have expressed interest in an extension. Mayhew declined to say if there was an incentive to sign McLaurin before Metcalf and Brown — whose contracts, in theory, could drive up the price — but Mayhew called the Ohio State product a “face of the program” type of player. In three seasons, McLaurin has become one of Washington’s best players and is coming off a year in which he topped 1,000 yards for the second straight season. 

Elsewhere, Mayhew said he met with Sims’ agent on Tuesday regarding free agency. The Commanders would like to bring the wide receiver back, Mayhew said. Sims, who caught 15 passes for 211 yards in 2021, is the team’s only wide receiver above 6 feet. While Sims’ production dipped this past season, he had a career-high 477 yards in 2020. 

Mayhew, though, indicated that the team is likely to let Sims, McCain and McKissic all speak to other teams during the legal tampering window that opens in less than two weeks.  Free agency officially begins March 16. 

“We want to get a sense for where they are contractually,” Mayhew said. “We want to explain to them that we aren’t ready to make an offer right now, but we do want them back. And they have the opportunity to go out when the negotiation period begins in a week or so, they’ll have the opportunity to go out and talk to other teams. And we want them to keep us informed as to where they are contractually and what kind of offers they’re looking at.” 

McKissic and McCain were important pieces for Washington last season. McKissic served as a dynamic running back that complemented starter Antonio Gibson with his pass-catching ability before a neck injury cut his season short with six games to go. McCain overcame a slow start and provided solid play on the backend as Washington’s starting free safety. 

As for Collins, Mayhew will meet with the three-time Pro Bowler’s agent — perhaps over the possibility of a pay cut. Mayhew did not say whether the Commanders are looking to have Collins rework his contract, but the 28-year-old is set to carry a $16 million cap hit next season. That’s a large number for a player who was often used at linebacker and has suffered season-ending injuries in back-to-back years.

Coach Ron Rivera said Tuesday that he’d like to see Collins return, but did not specify whether it was contingent on a pay cut. If Washington opts to release Collins, it will clear almost $6.5 million in cap space — or nearly $12 million if the team designates him as a post-June 1 release. 

“We have a lot to talk about,” Mayhew said. “But we’ll talk about it with Landon’s agent before I talk about it with you.”