Terry McLaurin had the best season of his six-year NFL career to date in 2024. But at long last, more help is on the way.
The Washington Commanders wide receiver caught 82 passes for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns, nearly doubling his previous high of seven in that category, during the regular season. Then, in the playoffs, he racked up 227 more receiving yards and three additional scores.
With Deebo Samuel Sr. now in the fold for Washington after being traded from the San Francisco 49ers, it's safe to say McLaurin probably won't be putting up those types of numbers again. Yet an argument can be made that there's no bigger winner in the deal than the former third-round pick.
Samuel should be, by far, the best No. 2 wideout Washington has boasted throughout McLaurin's time in D.C. Throughout the previous six seasons, the Commanders' most notable wide receivers alongside the Ohio State product have been Curtis Samuel (no relation), Jahan Dotson, and Dyami Brown. None of them ever eclipsed more than 700 receiving yards in a season.
For context, McLaurin has had at least 900 receiving yards in every year of his career.
Simply put, he has never had a true No. 2 on the opposite side of the field who can draw significant attention away. Samuel will be especially helpful in this regard due to his ability to rack up yards after the catch. He'll draw defenses closer to the line of scrimmage while Kliff Kingsbury schemes up short passes that he can take a distance. That will leave McLaurin plenty of opportunities deep, which is his specialty.
McLaurin's usage will likely decline in 2025. Commanders fans shouldn't expect him to catch 82 passes again (the second-highest total of his career, trailing only his 87 from the 2020 season). That said, he'll have the opportunity to be even more productive with the balls he does get thrown. That's the best news he could ask for.
For all of the reasons why "Scary Terry" is a fan-favorite, one of the biggest is that despite being in a sub-optimal situation for much of his career, he has never complained. The wideout never demanded to have the ball more or thrown his carousel of quarterbacks under the bus, even though there have been many occasions in which he wouldn't have been blamed for doing so.
McLaurin has stuck it out through the hard times like a true professional, becoming a locker room alpha revered by his peers. Now he'll finally get to reap the rewards of his patience.
He has a rising superstar quarterback, a quality coaching staff, and a complementary option in the wideout room who can take some of the weight off of his shoulders in the Commanders' offense.
Oh, and he just got married. It's never been better to be McLaurin.