Steelers Trade Target Wants ‘Considerably More’ Money Than DK Metcalf

The Pittsburgh Steelers already pulled off a blockbuster trade for DK Metcalf earlier this offseason, but they have been linked to another potential trade for disgruntled Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin. However, a recent development appears to have made a deal for McLaurin less likely to happen.

All offseason long, McLaurin has made it abundantly clear he’s looking for a new deal from the Commanders. To this point, he hasn’t gotten it, and while he has decided to report for training camp after initially holding out, it seems like we may finally know why no deal has been reached between these two sides.

While Washington agrees that McLaurin deserves a new deal, they have balked as his asking price, which is reportedly more than $30 million per year. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, it turns out McLaurin wants more than that, as he is unwilling to accept a deal that has a lower average annual value than Metcalf’s massive new deal with Pittsburgh.

“DK Metcalf was the same draft class as Terry McLaurin, he got about $33 million a year,” Schefter said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “I wouldn’t think that Terry is going to take less than that, and I think he wants considerably more than that.”

There’s no doubt that McLaurin is a star, as he is fresh off catching 82 passes for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns. However, it’s going to be tough for any team to justify paying him “considerably more” than Metcalf, considering how he is two years younger than McLaurin, while also being similarly, if not more, productive than him to this point in his career.

From a Steelers perspective, the amount of money that McLaurin is demanding makes a trade for him more unlikely. However, it also goes to show that their big-money deal for Metcalf, which some folks initially labeled an overpay, may not end up being all that expensive after all.

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