Should the Patriots swoop in on a disgruntled Commanders receiver?

Terry McLaurin is unhappy with his contract. The New England Patriots need a long-term option at wide receiver. Therefore, the Patriots should check in on the availability of Terry McLaurin.

NFL insider Jordan Schultz recently dropped an explosive report on McLaurin's status in DC. McLautin "has made it clear to the team that he’s frustrated with the lack of progress on a long-term deal," and "unexpectedly left voluntary workouts after initially attending." Per Schultz, it's possible McLaurin doesn't attend mandatory minicamp, either, as contract talks have been "minimal."

Consider this your obligatory "should the Patriots get [INSERT GOOD PLAYER]" post for the week. But this one is worth asking, because the Patriots still need good players, and especially at receiver. And while it seems crazy that the Washington Commanders would entertain the idea of a McLaurin trade, the same was probably said at some point before Brandin Cooks, Stefon Diggs, Tyreek Hill, AJ Brown, Davante Adams, DK Metcalf, Amari Cooper, and George Pickens found themselves with new teams between seasons in the past.

Ironically, Diggs is now a Patriot, but many Vikings fans were surely blindsided when he got traded to the Buffalo Bills before the 2020 season. And the 31-year-old Diggs, despite signing with the Pats for up to three years, should essentially be a year-to-year proposition, especially after that boat video, a stark reminder of his volatility.

^{Terry McLaurin}

McLaurin would represent a more long-term answer for the Pats and young starting quarterback Drake Maye. Despite being 29 years old with some tread on his tires (97 career games and 5,662 snaps), McLaurin entered the league at 24 years old after playing all four years at Ohio State and has shown no signs of slowing down.

He just delivered arguably a career-best season, helping jumpstart the Commanders' new era under their own franchise quarterback, Jayden Daniels. McLaurin caught a career-high 13 touchdowns while starting all 17 games for the fourth straight season, and he came up big in his first extended playoff run, too. The veteran racked up 14 catches for 227 yards and three touchdowns in three playoff games for Washington.

A McLaurin trade would certainly cost high draft capital, but the lack of a long-term contract in place should keep the price tag below that of first-round picks. If the Patriots could feasibly land McLaurin for picks in the range of the second and third round, they should absolutely consider it. And while it may come with some risk to sign a 29-year-old to a four-year extension, McLaurin has the kind of skills and intangibles that may translate to continued production into his 30s.

And then, of course, a quick look at the top receiver contracts in the NFL suggests that McLaurin would be in line for a contract in the range of $30 million per season. But that goes without saying, for the team that would end up getting him.

Ultimately, if you're a Patriots fan, you should be hoping that once that Schultz report came out, the Patriots front office were among those giving Commanders GM Adam Peters a call.