Young Giants trending up as the NFL preseason begins, plus Terry McLaurin's contract situation

New York Times

12 hours ago

Inside: Two young Giants lead our early preseason risers, plus what's next for Micah Parsons and the curious case of Terry McLaurin's contract situation.
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Which teams have the best collections of potential superstars still under 25 years old?
There are the playoff-contending Texans, with their trio of quarterback C.J. Stroud (age 23), edge Will Anderson Jr. (23) and corner Derek Stingley Jr. (24), plus the promising Patriots, with quarterback Drake Maye (22) and corner Christian Gonzalez (23). There's also the Lions, who have an army of young talent. I could be convinced to also include the Jaguars and Rams.
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That's a short list — and it should now include the Giants.
Malik Nabers and Abdul Carter give New York one of the league's most promising under-25 duos — quite a bit under 25, in fact. Nabers (22) seems primed for a sophomore jump after leading the NFL in targets per game as a rookie.
Joining him is rookie edge Carter (21), who is already 'ready to take over a game right now,' according to beat reporter Charlotte Carroll.
Can first-round QB Jaxson Dart (22) make this the best young trio in football? Don't expect an answer any time soon; the Giants sound intent on a redshirt season for their potential franchise quarterback, a strategy their offensive coordinator, Mike Kafka, saw work with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.
Still, general manager Joe Schoen said last week that 'if the coaching staff at some point feels it's right and (Dart's) ready, then I'll leave that up to them.'
Arrows up in New York. Here's how other situations are trending:
📈 Spending in Denver. Courtland Sutton signed a four-year extension (more on that below) before the Broncos made star defensive end Zach Allen the league's third-highest paid defensive end. Allen, 27, is key to Vance Joseph's defense, which led the NFL in sacks last season.
📉 Offense in Chicago? The high standards of head coach Ben Johnson remain unmet by the Bears' offense. 'Sloppier than we were hoping we would be at this point,' said Johnson, after multiple delay-of-game penalties cost his offense during yesterday's practice.
📈 Defense in Cincinnati? For once, that's not the opener to a joke. Paul Dehner Jr. provided reason for optimism about this defense, where 21-year-old edge Shemar Stewart looks like an immediate contributor.
👍 Sidelining the chain gangs. Last week's Hall of Fame game offered us the first look at the league's new virtual measurement system, which won't guarantee correct spot placement, but should measure first downs more efficiently. Goodbye, index cards. Hello this:
First look at the new virtual measurement system for first downs coming to the NFL this season:
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📉 Browns QB survival. 'A bit of a dud' is how beat reporter Zac Jackson described Cleveland's ongoing quarterback competition, which has included two injuries — Kenny Pickett's hamstring and Shedeur Sanders' arm — but no challenger yet for Joe Flacco.
The Cowboys have no intention of trading star pass rusher Micah Parsons, but teams are still checking in. Players in Dallas have had contract issues with Jerry Jones before – remember Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb last year? But neither advanced to the point of a trade request, the button Parsons pressed last week, just hours after I reported that his relationship with the front office was deteriorating.
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Parsons is under contract for this season, and Dallas could still franchise-tag him twice after that. Jones clearly has no problem with the state of play, continuing to project confidence and bravado while telling Cowboys fans 'not to lose sleep.' Good luck with that.
Back to you, Jacob.
Washington has plenty of money. Only four teams have more projected cap space for 2026, when the Commanders should have roughly $62.3 million available. And in 2027, their cap room looks to balloon to $190 million, second-most in the NFL. (And remember: Jayden Daniels isn't eligible for an extension until 2027.)
You'd think an extension would be quick for McLaurin, a staple in the community and hasn't missed a game since 2020. And despite being covered by No. 1 corners his entire career — he's never had a teammate top 700 yards receiving — he's recorded five straight seasons of 1,000-plus yards. Washington wants him around, of course.
The problem: McLaurin turns 30 next month, and plays in a league that tends to phase out receivers after 29. Of the 16 highest-paid receivers, only Tyreek Hill will be in his 30s in 2025:
Last week, Courtland Sutton potentially cost McLaurin millions. You see, McLaurin was drafted the same year as D.K. Metcalf, a 27-year-old who recently received a deal averaging $33 million per year. That might've been a comp for McLaurin — at least until Sutton, who turns 30 in October, signed a four-year Denver contract at an average value of just $23 million. That's a $10 million gap. Ouch.
When might this end? At what price? I checked in with our new Commanders beat reporter, Nicki Jhabvala.
How likely is it that McLaurin gets the contract he's asking for?
💬 Nicki: 'The Commanders have said on record that they want to get a long-term deal done, but I would be surprised if they agree to $33 million a year. While McLaurin and Metcalf were both drafted in 2019, and have similar production in many statistical areas, Metcalf is nearly two years younger.'
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Is this resolved before Week 1?
💬 'Maybe I'm overly optimistic, but even after McLaurin's trade request, I think he ends up with a new deal in Washington before the season opener. The team has rebuilt the roster to give quarterback Jayden Daniels more protection and more offensive options. To do that and then leave him without his go-to receiver seems counterintuitive.'
How important are these missed reps for Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury?
💬 'Extremely important. Sure, Daniels and Kingsbury are familiar with McLaurin after a year together; they know what McLaurin is capable of and they're around one another most days now that McLaurin is holding in. But there's no replicating the on-field work, especially with the new pieces on offense.'
Thank you, Nicki. My projection: I'll hypothesize trade destinations (Raiders 👀) until McLaurin signs a three-year extension, valued just above D.J. Moore's $27.5 million APY.
🧾 Trade destinations? Three Micah Parsons landing spots to consider: the Jets, Bears and … Packers, all explained by our beat reporters.
🤝 Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin. Michael Silver shares an inside look at the bond between Rodgers and Tomlin, a relationship that could dictate the Steelers' season.
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