THE McLAURIN FILE
PFWA All-Rookie team, 2019
Signed a three-year extensions worth up to $71 million, 2022
By Lenn Robbins
Usually when discussing an NFL surprise story it’s focused on a player from a small school or one who went undrafted. Which is not the Terry McLaurin story.
Which is what makes his immediate ascension to elite NFL wide receiver rather unique. McLaurin played at that Big Ten power known as Ohio State, so he wasn’t flying under anyone’s radar.
He was drafted by the Washington Commanders in the third round, so there were expectations that he could find a role. But after three seasons in which McLaurin caught 222 passes for 3,090 yards and 16 touchdowns, it was time for McLaurin, who was voted a team captain by teammates in his second season, to be recognized one of the league’s best.
In one of the league’s less contentious negotiations, McLaurin and the Commanders agreed on a three-year extension that could be worth up to $71 million. It’s not Cooper Kupp money but it’s a sign that the former third-round pick, who never had more than 35 catches in a season in college, has arrived.
‘“It says a lot about not only this organization and their belief in me, but I think it says a lot about the person that I’ve tried to be since Day 1 being here,” McLaurin told reporters, “handling myself professionally and being a competitor and a leader and just being everything they want in a player.”