“Does he deserve it?” is probably the most asked question in the Washington Commanders’ front office right now. To some, the answer is simple: After a fifth straight 1,000-yard receiving season, coupled with a best of six season numbers—82 passes caught for 1,096 yards with a career-high 13 touchdowns, and 14 receptions, 227 receiving yards and three touchdown catches in three playoff games—the verdict should be a MASSIVE YES. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.

Terry McLaurin has found himself embroiled in a contract dispute instead. The wide receiver is currently in the final year of his three-year, $69.6 million contract signed in June 2022. While incentives pushed that figure to around $70.6 million, reports confirm he’s looking for a payday matching NFL’s elite receivers, with around $30 million annually. But that’s where things seem to have taken a nosedive. Amid ESPN‘s Jeremy Fowler confirming how McLaurin is “not happy with where things are with an extension”, the player made things clear in his own way. He missed his team’s mandatory three-day minicamp held between June 10 to June 12, thereby incurring a $104,768 fine. The 29-year-old also missed most of the Commanders’ voluntary offseason workouts for the same reason. The result?

Nothing that would bolster confidence. “There’s no update on the Terry McLaurin situation, and that’s the problem,” ESPN‘s Adam Schefter had reported late last month. And that’s exactly where the New England Patriots come in. With Stefon Diggs recovering from an ACL injury, and other team WRs still unproven, the Patriots $60+ million cap space seems like the saving grace, as the Commanders stay stuck with a little over $21 million in cap space. But Boston Herald‘s Patriots reporter Andrew Callahan isn’t too hopeful just yet. In a Pats Interference Football Podcast snippet shared by the journalist on YouTube earlier this week, a fan tweet asked him, “Is Terry McLaurin in play for the Patriots?”

To this, Callahan, somewhat breaking Mike Vrabel’s hopes and dreams, answered, “So Terry McLaurin [is] the clearest example of a non-Patriots who should be a Patriots…To directly answer the question, no. He will get paid in Washington. He deserves it. The Commanders have a rookie quarterback who is their franchise quarterback and is going to be on a cost-control contract for the foreseeable future. These are the players that you pay up until you have to extend Jayden Daniels down the road. Terry McLaurin’s in his prime. He’s a captain. He’s everything you wanted to be and everything some of us thought he would be coming out of Ohio State as a special teams impact player, captain, and a guy with an excellent three cone,” before adding:

“[But] I don’t think he’s in play. As far as when you hear it on the radio, TV, it’s a summer…guys have to fill airtime. But I’m telling you what I would tell you if this was on…NBC, where you’ll probably see me again soon enough. I just don’t think it’s going to happen. Washington made the NFC championship game last year partly thanks to Terry McLaurin. When you’re on the precipice like that, you don’t let those players get away even if they want more money than you think they deserve,” Callahan concluded.

It’s true that McLaurin is a crucial piece in the Commanders’ roster. Beyond his on-field contributions, #17  is an important leader for the roster, often mentoring young receivers like Dyami Brown. For New England’s WR room, on the other hand, he would be a significant upgrade after Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker’s underwhelming combined 13 catches. The WR group’s performance last season was generally considered the worst in the league. With young WRs on the roster, McLaurin could rise as a mentor while boosting their competitiveness alongside Diggs.

Even with that, the hope for acquiring McLaurin is dwindling for the Patriots. As if that weren’t already enough, Vrabel has another challenge quietly waiting for him.

Mike Vrabel should gear up for the challenge

Before the Patriots, Vrabel had an impressive coaching stint with the Tennessee Titans. However, certain instances during the Titans’ run might have brewed up drama that could come back to haunt him this season.

The Titans, now under the guidance of former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan, have seen massive changes. While it may not have translated to success just yet, the hopes are high as he steps into his second tenure with the team. One of the changes is Titans player Thomas Odukoya, who has witnessed both Callahan’s and Vrabel’s runs with the team.

He joined the Titans through the International Player Pathway in 2022. While he has massive respect for Vrabel, Thomas has only one complaint, which is that during the former coach’s stint, he didn’t get to play. “When Mike Vrabel was here, I spent two years on the practice squad and never played for him. Not that I’m bitter about that, but in my opinion, I deserved an opportunity,” he said. That has changed now, but he wants to prove it to his former coach.

He explained, “I have always found Mike Vrabel to be an amazing coach, and I think he’s a good fit for the New England organization. But, of course, I want to win against them and have the last laugh. You never want an old coach to come back and beat you on your own turf.”

He is both excited and fired up to face his former coach’s team and to defeat them. The Titans and the Patriots will face each other in Week 7, and it remains to be seen whether Thomas can keep his word or Vrabel will get the last laugh.