Terry McLaurin’s agent will meet with Commanders this week at the combine

Could the Washington Commanders and Terry McLaurin agree to a contract extension soon? Washington should kick things off with a strong offer.

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Washington’s quarterback search may not be going exactly the way head coach Ron Rivera wants it to at the moment, but could the Commanders soon have some good news regarding one of their own players?

According to general manager Martin Mayhew, McLaurin’s agent will meet with Washington this week. Mayhew, who spoke at the NFL combine Wednesday, noted how McLaurin’s agent was based in Indianapolis, and the two sides would meet this week in hopes of kicking off talks on a new contract extension.

While an extension is unlikely to be reached this week, it’s a good sign that the two parties are meeting this early to set the parameters of a potential new deal.

Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post confirmed the meeting would occur Friday.

If I were Mayhew and Washington, I would come out of the gate strong with an offer to McLaurin. Kenny Golladay signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Giants last offseason; those numbers should be the starting point. If the Commanders really want to grab McLaurin’s attention, offer him a similar deal to the rumored offer to Amari Cooper in the 2020 offseason.

Cooper signed a five-year, $100 million contract with Dallas over a supposedly better offer from Washington. While no one knows what the Commanders actually offered, Cooper’s contract with Dallas feels like a strong offer for McLaurin — entering his fourth NFL season.

The Commanders should get ahead of these negotiations. Other receivers from McLaurin’s 2019 draft class are also due for big extensions. A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf and Deebo Samuel are all in line for massive paydays this offseason. Each player will reset the market. Washington should set the market first.

Of course, will McLaurin agree to a new deal without a quarterback in place?