Commanders teammates show Terry McLaurin love after WR’s contract news

The debate regarding the Washington Commanders‘ offseason ended with one prodigious signature on Tuesday.

After months of trade speculation, not reporting to OTAs and mandatory minicamp and fans dreading the potential of a franchise tag this time next offseason, Terry McLaurin inked a three-year, $71 million extension.

From a bigger picture standpoint, this is a culture-changing move from the Commanders. With Jonathan Allen and McLaurin locked down long-term, you better believe players and coaches around the league have taken notice.

It wasn’t that long ago Washington was forced into trading Trent Williams, who has since become the game’s premier left tackle. Ron Rivera and Co. inherited that mess and were seemingly left with no other choice but to trade Williams, but McLaurin’s deal signifies that the franchise has turned over a new leaf.

How necessary was it for the Commanders to get McLaurin signed? Look no further than the reaction from his current and former teammates.

Commanders teammates are thrilled Terry McLaurin got his money.

If there’s anyone who understands where McLaurin was coming from by sitting out of organized team activities and minicamp, it’s Allen, who didn’t sign his four-year, $72 million extension until right before training camp in late July last year.

How psyched was Allen when the news broke? He called into Grant and Danny on 106.7 The Fan to share his excitement.

"“I’m fired up, man. I think when a guy like Terry gets paid, it really gives you a restored faith in the team that you reward guys for doing it the right way.“Terry, I don’t think there’s a better example of that. For a guy like Terry to get paid, it means a lot to a lot of guys in that locker room. So, I’m fired up, I know he’s fired up, and we’re just, as a team and organization, we’re all just fired up right now.”"

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves. From producing consistently on the field, to handling himself with class off the field (he’s won the Washington Media Good Guy award two years running), McLaurin is a model professional. He’s done everything possible to warrant this extension and the Commanders not getting a deal done would’ve served as a huge black eye on the Rivera regime.

While Allen was McLaurin’s only teammate who phoned a local radio show to disclose his delirium, several Commanders took to Twitter to congratulate the 26-year-old receiver. Antonio Gibson was more relieved than anything else.

https://twitter.com/AntonioGibson14/status/1541868736503840768?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1541868736503840768%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nbcsports.com%2Fwashington%2Fcommanders%2Fterry-mclaurins-extension-gives-commanders-teammates-restored-faith-team

Us, too, Gibson. Us, too.

Not only did Charles Leno congratulate McLaurin, so did his wife, Jen, who’s very active and popular amongst Commanders Twitter.

Entering her third season as Washington’s assistant running backs coach, Jennifer King is all too familiar with what McLaurin brings to the table.

No lies detected here. Jeremy Reaves nailed it!

We truly could not agree more. Back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons while averaging 74 receptions over three seasons despite the Commanders’ cycling through nine different starting quarterbacks during that span … while not putting a foot wrong off the field? Yeah, suffice it to say nobody was more deserving than Terry.

https://twitter.com/saahdiq/status/1541931746698166275

Agreed. Opposing secondaries should be terrified!

Colts cornerback Kenny Moore, who’s currently seeking his own (deserved) raise as one of the league’s best slot cornerbacks, gave McLaurin a proper shoutout, too. No worries, Commanders fans. This wasn’t a recruiting pitch.

How about one more for good measure? DeAndre Carter!

Carter was only McLaurin’s teammate for one season in Washington, so his message should tell you how beloved No. 17 is in the locker room.

Don’t let anyone tell you to stop celebrating this news, folks.