Terry McLaurin was already a Pro Bowl wide receiver even before the Commanders transformed their offense (and their future) by drafting Jayden Daniels No. 2 overall in 2024. McLaurin played a major role in the Commanders’ surprise run to the NFC Championship Game, helping Daniels cruise to an NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award and earning a second-team All-Pro nod for his efforts.
But McLaurin struggled in Week 1, recording just two catches on four targets for 27 yards. There’s a fairly obvious reason behind McLaurin’s slow start — he missed all of training camp while holding out for a new deal, eventually signing a three-year, $96 million contract extension with the Commanders in late August. There’s no reason to believe McLaurin won’t be worth that contract in the long run, but we’ve seen plenty of players get off to slow starts in the regular season after missing training camp due to injuries and contract holdouts.
The Packers’ defense won’t make getting up to speed any easier for McLaurin, as he will have to contend with cornerbacks Isaiah McDuffie and Keisean Nixon and safeties Javon Bullard and All-Pro Xavier McKinney in the secondary. A scary matchup for the star wideout.
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Inside Terry McLaurin’s contract, from the incentives to a 49ers special