The Los Angeles Chargers look poised for a strong second season under head coach Jim Harbaugh and what better way to kick off Year 2 than swinging for the fences and adding a massive target for Justin Herbert? That target, at least in this unlikely scenario (and we can't stress that part enough), would be Terry McLaurin, who did not report to the Washington Commanders' minicamp this week as he continues to wait for his new contract.
The Chargers did beef up their wide receiver room this offseason, bringing back Mike Williams to pair with Ladd McConkey. Hopefully, Quentin Johnston can build off his 2024 season, as that'd give Herbert a nice 1-2-3 punch.
That being said, just imagine how much scarier the Bolts offense would be if McLaurin was brought in. A first-round pick in 2019 by Washington, McLaurin has had five straight 1,000-yard seasons and the only year he didn't go for over 1,000 yards was in 2019 when he was a rookie (he finished just shy of the feat with 919 yards).
Sure, McLaurin would be fun to watch in a Chargers uniform but obviously there's a catch here. That catch is that LA would have to give up a lot to land him. It's also unlikely that the Commanders would consider trading him in the first place given what a star he's been for them, even in their down years.
Trading for Terry McLaurin would be fun but unlikely scenario for Chargers
Let's pretend for a minute that the Commanders were serious about putting McLaurin on the trade block. Would the Chargers make sense for him? Sure, they have a superstar quarterback and an offensive-minded head coach that would strike fear in defenses but it does feel like there are other teams that have more on the line (and more holes on offense) that would try to land him.
The Chargers might not have the best WR corps in the league but McConkey showed he can be lethal, Williams had a few really nice years in Los Angeles, and, again, hopefully Johnston can continue to grow and become more of a threat in the offense. That would make McLaurin and his hefty price tag (a lot of picks to acquire him and then a lot of money to extend him) a move the Chargers probably wouldn't be interested in.
Sure it'd be fun, but it'd make it hard to continue building this team for the foreseeable future when so much money would be tied up in McLaurin and Herbert.