Terry McLaurin trade request: Should the Commanders pay up? - ESPN

Adam Peters' honeymoon in Washington ended on Thursday evening. While the general manager of the Commanders has deservedly been lauded for his work in rebuilding a moribund franchise and getting it all the way back to the NFC Championship Game in his first season in charge, Thursday's trade request from star wide receiver Terry McLaurin is the first real conflict of the Peters era.

While the Commanders have moved on from veterans Kendall Fuller and Jonathan Allen during Peters' two offseasons in charge, McLaurin might be the most popular holdover from the pre-Jayden Daniels days. In addition to being one of the remaining players who endured former team owner Daniel Snyder's final years with the organization, McLaurin was consistently productive despite playing with a string of quarterbacks who either didn't pan out or quickly suffered career-altering injuries.

Terry McLaurin's quarterbacks, 2019-2023 (from <a href=«https://twitter.com/pfref?ref_src=» https:>@pfref

). And this doesn't even include Ryan Fitzpatrick's one game as the starter. pic.twitter.com/RhRwapQ7Ga

If there's anyone in the building who deserves the benefit of the doubt and a reward for what he has endured to get to this point, it's McLaurin, who has been regarded as a leader and positive presence in the building since he was drafted in Round 3 in 2019. And yet, after an entire offseason to negotiate, McLaurin's holdout and then hold-in after reporting to camp on July 27 haven't led to any sort of resolution, leading the two-time Pro Bowler to request a trade.

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I'll start with what's obvious: The Commanders' offense looks very different without its top wideout. I had them 13th in my playmaker rankings earlier this