The worst-case scenario for the Washington Commanders and NFL All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin seems to be playing out after he was carted off the field in a Week 6 Monday Night Football loss to the San Francisco 49ers.
“Commanders WR Terry McLaurin, who was carted off in an air cast last night against the 49ers, is feared to have suffered a serious and season-ending knee injury,” NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport wrote on his official X account on Tuesday morning. “He’ll have an MRI today.”
McLaurin was hurt with 1:56 left in the first quarter. He already missed time this year with a hamstring injury and missed 7 games in 2025 due to injuries.
“It looked like it was more serious than a hamstring as he was grabbing at his knee as he went to the ground,” MNF color commentator Troy Aikman said.
“Commanders Terry McLaurin — Suspecting patellar tendon rupture,” Dr. Deepak Chona wrote on his official X account. “Season over if so. Wk 1 of ‘27 = realistic target, but most would see a sizable production hit yr 1 post-injury.”
Possible Final Game in Commanders Uniform
McLaurin may have played his final game in a Commanders uniform.
“Head coach Dan Quinn confirmed that the team feared a ‘significant’ injury after the game and that McLaurin would go for tests on Tuesday to determine just how significant it is,” Pro Football Talk’s Josh Alper wrote on Monday night. “Those tests are pending, but Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the team is bracing to learn that McLaurin will miss the rest of the season. McLaurin has two more years left on his contract and is set to have a $34 million cap number in 2027, but there’s no guaranteed money left on the deal should the Commanders opt to move in a different direction.”
Terry McLaurin Signed Massive Contract in 2025
McLaurin had his best season of his career — and his only NFL All-Pro season — in 2024, setting the franchise record with 13 receiving touchdowns as he helped lead the Commanders to the NFC Championship Game.
That led to a nasty contract dispute with the Commanders the following offseason — one that didn’t end until he signed a 3-year, $97 million contract extension shortly before the regular season.
McLaurin responded with his worst season as a pro — career lows across the board of 38 receptions, 583 yards, and 3 touchdowns in 10 games as the Commanders stumbled to a 5-12 record after going 12-5 in 2024.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon put McLaurin, who turned 31 years old in September, at the top of his list of the NFL’s “Most Overpaid Players” before the 2026 season.
“The seventh-highest-paid receiver in the NFL has never hit 1,200 yards, has scored eight-plus touchdowns just once, and never caught 90 passes in a season,” Gagnon wrote. “Now durability could be a concern for a good-not-great player on the wrong side of 30.”
Commanders WR Terry McLaurin Injury Update: Worst Fears Realized for $97 Million All-Pro