Why Commanders WR Terry McLaurin deserves his massive new contract
The then-Washington Redskins selected receiver Terry McLaurin with the 76th pick in the third round of the 2019 draft, and that’s proven to be one of the bigger steals in the NFL over that time. While McLaurin has had to deal with all kinds of changes around him — three team nicknames and eight different starting quarterbacks — he’s been a relative bastion of consistency. McLaurin has 222 receptions on 357 targets for 3,090 yards and 16 touchdowns in his short career, and he’s gone over the 1,000-yard mark in each of his last two seasons. This with Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Colt McCoy, Kyle Allen, Taylor Heinicke, Garrett Gilbert, and Ryan Fitzpatrick throwing him the ball. Not exactly a dominant group there.
The now-Washington Commanders, the artists formerly known as the Washington Football Team, finally decided to make McLaurin one of the league’s best-compensated receivers with a new contract extension on Tuesday. Per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the three-year deal is worth up to $71 million in new money, and there’s a $28 million signing bonus.
McLaurin’s new quarterback, Carson Wentz, has been very much looking forward to working with his new target.
“I watched him light us up in Philly, and I was like, ‘That dude’s special,'” Wentz said in March. “I’m excited to get on the field and experience that speed firsthand.”
What does that speed do? Last season, per Pro Football Focus, McLaurin caught 11 passes of 20 or more air yards on 33 targets for 344 yards and three touchdowns. Not that Wentz is the most reliable guy, but he certainly has the deep arm to connect with such a talent, as long as the ball goes where it’s supposed to.
As he showed against the Giants on this 40-yard reception in Week 18 last season, McLaurin can nuke man coverage by foot-faking any press cornerback at the line, extending his speed through the route, and closing in before the deep safety can.
But McLaurin is more than just a speed guy — he’s also an outstanding route-runner with a great feel for open space, even and especially when he has to create it. This was the case on this 12-yard touchdown against the Panthers’ Cover-0 in Week 11. Watch how he presses the angle of his route at the perfect time, giving Heinicke an ideal target.
The Commanders have some work to do at the quarterback position — there’s the aforementioned Wentz and Heinicke on board, and fifth-round rookie Sam Howell might have what it takes to surprise just about everybody.
But as far as a No. 1 receiver goes, the team wisely made sure that there will be no deficit in that regard.
