After the Washington Commanders' 2025 season went off the rails, fingers of blame pointed in every possible direction. Terry McLaurin took more criticism than perhaps anybody, and it all started before the campaign even began.
McLaurin has been Washington's most consistent weapon for seven years, both in terms of production and availability. Last season, he was neither available nor productive, missing seven games and racking up a career-low 58.2 receiving yards per contest.
Everybody blamed his summer-long contract holdout for poor conditioning, and his beloved status with the fan base took a slight hit.
Terry McLaurin must prove to Commanders critics that last season was merely a blip
In the first year of the contract extension he ultimately signed, McLaurin has 97 million reasons to prove last year was an aberration and not the start of a downward trend.
McLaurin is about to turn 31 in a couple of weeks, which is about the age when most wide receivers start to drop off from peak production. It's also harder to stay durable as you get older, and last season marked the first injury of his NFL career that required him to miss significant time.
There is also a bright side, though.
Before last year's lost season, McLaurin had the best campaign of his career. That was also the first time he'd played with a high-level quarterback, so if Jayden Daniels stays healthy, one should expect the Ohio State product to easily return to his automatic 1,000-yard ways.
McLaurin was given his massive payday for a reason, and he smartly negotiated it when his stock was at its highest. But as it comes into effect, it's a situation Washington had better hope ends well.
Stefon Diggs is now in the fold, giving McLaurin the best running mate he's ever had. He might lose some targets to the four-time Pro Bowl wideout, but he also won't generate as much attention from defenses.
Everything is in place for Terry McLaurin to resume Commanders' dominance in 2026
With David Blough at the controls of Washington's offense, he should have every opportunity to bounce back.
It's almost a conclusion that by the time McLaurin's contract expires, he won't be a top-10 receiver in the league anymore. Of course, by that point, his salary also won't be top-10 receiver money anymore, so it's okay if he falls slightly below that standard with age.
Even so, the second-team All-Pro needs to remain a positive asset for the Commanders during that time, or the critics will only grow.
McLaurin's legacy in Washington is riding on this season and the next few. And his contract is structured so that the Commanders can get out of it starting in 2027.
There is an added incentive, and it has nothing to do with money.
The receiver has the chance to be remembered as the team's best player of the 2020s. McLaurin should be a future Ring of Fame member and might possibly even have an outside shot at the Pro Football Hall of Fame if he has more seasons like 2024 ahead of him.
But he could also be chased out of this town as quickly as it embraced him. Fans are fickle, and if there's one thing they hate, it's aging players on bad contracts.
It'll be up to McLaurin to show Washington who he still is.
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