Why Terry McLaurin is worth every penny of his contract extension
Breaking down WR Terry McLaurin and why the Commanders were right to give him a big contract.
One of the most important moves of the offseason for the Washington Commanders was getting wide receiver Terry McLaurin signed to an extension. McLaurin has been a phenomenal receiver for Washington since being drafted in the third-round back in 2019, quickly establishing himself as the best receiver on the team. Over the course of his first three years in the league, McLaurin has led Washington in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
McLaurin’s extension was key this offseason, but the receiving market blew up. Cooper Kupp got a new contract after his outstanding season with the Rams while Davante Adams also got a huge contract after being traded to the Raiders. D.J. Moore signed a big extension with the Panthers, Chris Godwin returned to the Bucs, Mike Williams got a sizable deal from the Chargers too. That led to contract talks for the 2019 receiving class, including McLaurin, Deebo Samuel, D.K. Metcalf and A.J. Brown, taking longer as the bar for receiver contracts kept getting raised.
McLaurin held out of OTAs and mini camps this offseason, but the Commanders finally managed to get a deal done on a three-year extension worth up to $71 million, including $53 million in guaranteed money. That’s a significant chunk of money that will take up a good portion of the Commanders cap space over the next few seasons, but McLaurin is absolutely worth it. McLaurin has become an elite receiver in the NFL, but hasn’t had the quarterback play to shine a spotlight on his talent. He obviously has great speed and good hands despite a slightly odd catching style. But his route running is what makes him elite and separates him from other receivers.
If there was ever a play that summed up McLaurin’s time in Washington so far, it would be this one. McLaurin aligns to the left and runs a post route, but the details in the post route make it work. Off the snap, he takes a little hop step to square up the defender and sell a fake outside before bursting inside and running by the defender. After releasing freely inside, McLaurin bends his route back vertical to get up the field and get the defender playing catch up. At the top of his route, McLaurin then sells another strong fake to the outside, initially bending his route outside before using a jab step and a head fake to complete the fake. McLaurin then cuts sharply back inside towards the middle of the field. The defender falls over trying to stay with him and McLaurin is left wide open in the end zone.
Unfortunately, quarterback Taylor Heinicke was pressured and couldn’t deliver the throw on time. After avoiding a sack, Heinicke still spots McLaurin open in the back of the end zone and lobs it up to him. The delay in getting the ball to him allows the defender a chance to recover and contest the catch. However, McLaurin does an excellent job tracking the ball and fighting through contact to make the catch and score the touchdown.
In Washington, McLaurin has routinely been made to work harder than he should have to in order to make plays. Far too often his route running has gotten him open, only for the quarterback to deliver a poor throw, allowing the defender to recover and forcing McLaurin to fight for a contested ball.
Here against the Packers, McLaurin shows off another terrific route. He’s aligned to the left again but in a much tighter split. Off the snap, he widens his path to force his corner to widen with him. McLaurin then straightens up to get vertical before selling a break outside. He again uses a jab step and a head fake to sell the break outside, getting the defender to bite just enough to stop his feet. McLaurin then sails by him as he continues up the field. McLaurin has a good two or three yards on the defender when the ball is thrown. However, the throw brings the defender back into the equation. Instead of being out in front of McLaurin and allowing him to run under it in stride, the ball thrown flatter and more outside, forcing McLaurin to slow down and adjust his path to get back outside. This allows the defender to recover and get back into a position where he can contest the catch. But again, McLaurin does a terrific job tracking the ball and going up to win the contested catch over the defender for another touchdown.
McLaurin has the speed to just burn defenders, but the quarterbacks he’s played with haven’t been able to consistently hit him in stride down the field.
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