Commanders Head Coach Offers First Comments on Terry McLaurin's Trade Request

The good vibes around the Washington Commanders in 2024 have not carried over to 2025, as the team's offseason has been taking place in the shadow of Terry McLaurin's contract negotiations.

The star wideout and top target of Jayden Daniels has been open in his desire for an extension that reflects his value to the organization. The organization has not complied. The situation came to a head earlier this week when McLaurin requested a trade out of town if the Commanders weren't going to pay him what he feels he deserves.

There has been little movement on the trade front since McLaurin asked out. On Saturday, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn was afforded the opportunity to make his first public comments on the situation. He said he knew it was the business side of football and didn't consider it a distraction to preparing the team for 2025.

"We love Terry and are really glad he's here and hope he's practicing soon," Quinn said to reporters, per ESPN's John Keim. "But I also understand the business side of things. That's what they're working through. I love coaching him.

"Players today are more aware of contracts than they used to be. They recognize that's the business part. For the team, we're just rocking. For Terry, the trade request, that's part of normal business that's happening around the NFL. We understand it. This group is tight and they're focused on what they have to do."

The head coach also noted he isn't surprised things got to this point and he tries to leave that side of the business to general manager Adam Peters while still supporting McLaurin.

""I try to avoid judging it," he said. "I recognize players are trying to set themselves and their families up, so I try not to put myself in that spot. It's too easy to say, 'Man, if I had that much I would be this or that.' So I don't go there. I try to support him as best I can, but we don't discuss the finance part of things.

"It's an emotional time. I just try to make sure to support the player as best I can."

As the man most often tasked to straddle the line between the player side and management side of off-field issues, Quinn did what he could here to ensure he was supporting McLaurin without getting mixed up in the stand-off between the star and the front office. A sensitive subject and one he clearly wanted to approach with thoughtfulness.

It may not be the last time Quinn is asked about the situation, as McLaurin and the Commanders don't seem any closer to a new deal. A storyline worth watching as training camp moves forward.