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Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin requested a trade on Thursday amidst negotiations over a new contract.
McLaurin is no stranger to trade rumors, as he’s been floated around before as a potential trade deadline candidate. Whenever his name’s been up for discussion, the Colts have always been linked to the Indianapolis native.
That hasn’t changed with McLaurin’s recent request. ESPN’s Bill Barnwell believes the Colts should “consider” trading for McLaurin.
Although the Colts already have a strong receiver room filled with several different flavors of pass catchers, Barnwell thinks they could possibly cough one up in a trade with Washington.
“The Colts already have three starting wideouts in Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs and Alec Pierce, but that might be appealing to the Commanders as part of a potential trade,” he writes. “Pierce isn't as complete of a receiver as McLaurin, but we've seen teams pay premiums for speed with Dyami Brown and Tutu Atwell this offseason, and he could be part of the rotation that replaces McLaurin.”
Barnwell goes on to say that the Colts investing heavily in their defense with the signings of Charvarius Ward and Cam Bynum could suggest a willingness to be more aggressive in acquiring proven talent.
All solid arguments. Barnwell even suggests that McLaurin should be a good locker room fit as he would be able to meet the high character bar general manager Chris Ballard maintains for his players.
While a homecoming would be a fun idea, the Colts place too much of an emphasis on developing their own talent and rewarding them for their work for a trade to make sense here.
According to Spotrac, McLaurin’s average annual salary (AAV) is valued around $24.5 million, a price Ballard is highly unlikely to pay, especially with several notable players becoming free agents after 2025.
Pierce, right tackle Braden Smith, defensive ends Kwity Paye and Samson Ebukam are just some of the Colts set to hit the open market in 2026.
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