Commanders, Terry McLaurin agree to 3-year, $96 million contract extension

After a months-long stalemate that included a public airing of his frustrations, a holdout, a “hold-in” and a trade request, Pro Bowl receiver Terry McLaurin agreed to a three-year contract extension worth more than $96 million with the Washington Commanders on Monday, according to two league sources.

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The deal — which includes a $30 million signing bonus, according to one of those sources — makes McLaurin the sixth-highest paid receiver in average annual value, tied with Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown at $32 million a year.

It also ensures quarterback Jayden Daniels will have his go-to receiver for this season and beyond.

McLaurin had one year remaining on his previous contract with Washington, which he signed in 2022 for three years and roughly $70 million. He sought an extension a year early because he believed his pay no longer aligned with his value to the team. Before McLaurin agreed to his deal, nine receivers were earning an average salary of at least $30 million a year; McLaurin’s $22.79 million a year was 19th at his position.

“What top receivers are compensated in today’s NFL — wide receiver ones — I feel like I am that,” he said in July. “I feel like that has displayed itself not only with this cycle of receivers who have signed, but last year. I know I’m in that category.”

The Commanders have agreed to a 3-year, $96 million extension with WR Terry McLaurin, source confirmed. — Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 25, 2025

A third-round draft pick out of Ohio State in 2019, McLaurin has been a face of Washington’s franchise for much of his six-year career, serving as a consistent playmaker and a trusted voice during years of turmoil and investigations into the team. He quickly emerged as a staple of the offense, despite initial projections that he’d contribute mostly on special teams as a rookie, to lead the Commanders in receiving yards every year he’s been in the league and become the only player in team history to top 1,000 yards in five consecutive seasons. He’s missed only three games in his career.

McLaurin, 29, has steadily climbed the Commanders’ all-time leader boards to now rank fifth in career catches (460) and sixth in receiving yards (6,379), and he’s done it all while playing for two team owners, four head coaches (including interim), four offensive coordinators and with 11 starting quarterbacks. The latest one has helped take McLaurin’s career to new heights; McLaurin caught 12 touchdown passes from Daniels last season and grabbed another from backup Marcus Mariota to have the second-highest total in the NFL and set a franchise single-season record. McLaurin was selected to his second Pro Bowl and was voted second-team All-Pro, the first such honor of his career.

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“Terry’s one of the best I’ve ever seen at just attacking the ball in the air and Jayden, as the season went on, I think they built more and more trust as they had time on task,” offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury said during the playoffs last season. “The production that Terry had with some quarterback play that was just up and down, not having a consistent starter, which is tough in this league, is really remarkable when you look at it. Now, he has a guy who is playing at a level like Jayden is, and I just expect those numbers to get better and better.”

General manager Adam Peters said in March that the team wanted to make McLaurin “a Commander for a long time,” but it became clear early in negotiations that the receiver’s age — McLaurin will turn 30 on Sept. 15 — was a sticking point. In the last decade, only 13 receivers produced 1,000-yard seasons in their 30s and only three of those — Davante Adams, Larry Fitzgerald and Mike Evans — did so in consecutive years.

McLaurin signed autographs for fans at the conclusion of a few practices that were open to the public. Each time, he emerged from the facility to chants of “TER-RY! TER-RY!” and met with fans for roughly 30 minutes, then went back inside. He stood on the sideline for two other practices during camp, wearing a hooded jacket and inciting a slew of questions for head coach Dan Quinn the following day. Then, during warmups ahead of Washington’s preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday, a group of fans standing on the bottom row repeatedly yelled to Commanders players and coaches, “Is Terry coming?” and “Go get Terry!”

Fans went nuts when they spotted Terry McLaurin pic.twitter.com/Qs9jwY3Jn6 — Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) July 27, 2025

Perhaps they saw what many others saw in camp: an offense in limbo without him.

In March, Washington traded for versatile receiver Deebo Samuel, a yards-after-the-catch machine who will be used in both the run and pass games. The team also re-signed Noah Brown, but he’s dealt with multiple injuries since arriving in Washington a year ago; he missed the final four games and the playoffs last season, and was held out for most of camp this year because of a knee injury. Jaylin Lane was drafted in the fourth round with the hope he’d become the team’s punt returner and slot receiver. But among the nine other receivers vying for one of the last spots on the active roster, there were a slew of mistakes and no clear leader.

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“I don’t think until we get some of these other pieces back, we’re going to know exactly what we are,” Kingsbury said earlier this month. “We’ve had some good opportunities to see other guys get work in these positions, but when you don’t have your projected top two outside receivers, both of your projected inside pieces at guard, it’s not going to really give you the chance to gel or really build that relationship until you get everybody else on the grass. So, that’s something we have to get to over the next three weeks.”

McLaurin was activated off the physically unable to perform list the day after Kingsbury’s comments and began his ramp-up for the season. But he hasn’t played a live rep of football in a game or practice since January, when Washington lost to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship game. He is expected to be back on the field Wednesday, leaving himself less than two weeks to rediscover his magic with Daniels before the Commanders host the New York Giants (Sept. 7).

“Obviously, me and Terry have a very good relationship and that’s just the business of the NFL, stuff like that,” Daniels said last month. “Whenever that time comes and he’s back out on the field, I don’t think we’ll miss a beat.”

(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)

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