Although the Washington Commanders need great weapons to surround Jayden Daniels, it isn’t worth it to give up Terry McLaurin in exchange for Brandon Aiyuk, one of their rookie quarterback’s favorite targets.
Although McLaurin is one of Daniels’ few reliable playmakers among wide receivers, he might be used as trade bait in exchange for Aiyuk from the San Francisco 49ers. That is the absurd suggestion made by The Athletic’s Ben Standig and David Lombardi. The Commanders are slated to transfer McLaurin to the Bay Area in exchange for Aiyuk and a “compensatory third-round pick.” Though McLaurin has been a model of consistency, having four seasons with 1,000 yards or more in Washington, they are probably not strong enough reasons to break up with him.McLaurin is “wildly popular, productive (and probably untradable),” according to Standig. Standig, though, doesn’t believe the Commanders could negotiate a deal for Aiyuk and still be able to pay both of their premium receivers: “Making Aiyuk one of the five highest-paid receivers will lead to McLaurin’s camp wanting a raise when the contract carries no guaranteed money next year.” McLaurin is around 2.5 years Aiyuk’s senior at 29 years old.
Even if Aiyuk and Daniels have a long history together, this is the incorrect time to part ways with a tried-and-true player like McLaurin because of the latter’s presence at FedEx Field.
Terry McLaurin Is Still a Foundational Piece in Commanders’ Rebuilding
Daniels’ job is to develop as the franchise quarterback for the Commanders. If McLaurin stays in the fold, it will be easier for the winner of the Heisman Trophy to achieve that status.
Daniels has an easy target in McLaurin. Since joining the professionals as a third-round selection in the 2019 NFL draft, the veteran has shown himself to be resilient, creative, and reliable.
McLaurin wouldn’t even be slowed down by playing for a 4–11 squad in 2023. Instead, the 28-year-old scored four touchdowns and gained 1,002 yards on 79 receptions.
In Week 2, McLaurin outran the Denver Broncos’ double coverage to high-point the ball and score.
With this level of effort, McLaurin could make major plays out of even rookie Daniels’ poor throws. Despite Aiyuk’s comfort with their new QB1, that’s not something the Commanders should ignore.
Aiyuk Brandon Trade Cannot Be Done for Too Much
In 2019, Aiyuk and Daniels were teammates at Arizona State, and throughout the offseason, Aiyuk expressed his wish to bring the two back together. The pair would flourish for the Commanders, primarily because of Aiyuk’s ability to be approachable at all positions on the field.
When Aiyuk helped the 49ers win the Super Bowl the previous season, his core skills earned him a spot on the second team of the All-Pro squad. Pro Football Focus notes that he was “the highest-graded WR on out and post routes in 2023,” which is noteworthy. Aiyuk’s success both vertically and outside the numbers would make him a perfect weapon for Kliff Kingsbury, the new offensive coordinator for the Commanders. The latter group enjoys using “Air Raid” tactics to attack the pass coverage perimeter. Ironically, the Commanders should be eager to pair Aiyuk and McLaurin precisely because of Kingsbury’s plan. The combination of Terry McLaurin and Aiyuk would give Washington’s aerial attack two legitimate big-play weapons on the perimeter, according to NFL.com expert Bucky Brooks. Under Kliff Kingsbury’s Air Raid scheme, which creates lots of home run possibilities, Daniels would be able to operate in attack mode with at least one top receiver facing one-on-one coverage on every down. For the Commanders, it wouldn’t be addition by subtraction to replace McLaurin with Aiyuk. It would be better for the squad to hoard a second top target in addition to their one star pass-catcher.
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