In a 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, the highest-paid player on the Washington Commanders essentially went missing.
The 1st week of the 2026 regular season was unkind to Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who hasn’t seemed like an elite player since signing a 3-year, $97 million contract before the 2025 regular season after a lengthy holdout.
Not for 1 game. Not for 1 second. Not for 1 minute. And certainly not when he went MIA against the Eagles with 2 receptions for 14 yards — a game in which rookie wide receiver and 2026 3rd-round pick Antonio Williams led the Commanders with 4 receptions for 64 yards and 1 touchdown while only getting on the field for 11 offensive snaps.
McLaurin Has ‘Most to Prove’ on Roster in Week 2
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox put McLaurin on blast heading into Week 2 against the Dallas Cowboys, calling the former NFL All-Pro the player with the “most to prove” on the roster.
“This may seem like an odd choice, as Terry McLaurin has essentially been the Commanders’ No. 1 receiver for the past eight seasons,” Knox wrote on September 19. “However, he’s also 31 years old and is coming off a game in which he was pretty much invisible … McLaurin needs to prove that he can still be an elite difference maker because A.) Washington needs to support quarterback Jayden Daniels and B.) another disappointing campaign could leave McLaurin as a 2027 cap casualty. Last season, injuries limited McLaurin to 10 games and 582 receiving yards. Next spring, the Commanders could save $25.5 million in cap space by releasing him with a post-June 1 designation.”
Prediction Sees Commanders Boot McLaurin in 2027
NFL insider Matthew Berry predicted 2026 will be the last season for McLaurin with the Commanders.
“The (Commanders) will look to add to the wide receiver room with an emphasis on speed and don’t be surprised if 2026 is Terry McLaurin’s last year with the team,” Berry wrote on Monday. “To that end, one source told me that while almost everyone expects Washington to go defense in the first round this year, if the top three edge guys are all gone by No. 7, don’t be surprised if the Commanders take (Ohio State wide receiver) Carnell Tate.”
Commanders Wire’s Ivan Lambert put McLaurin on blast in his 2025 season postmortem, calling the highly-paid veteran the “Most Disappointing Player” on the roster after he missed a career-high 7 games due to injuries and had career lows of 38 receptions for 582 yards and 3 touchdowns.
“(McLaurin) wasn’t in touch with reality, asked for entirely too much money, then called a press conference to make the Commanders look like the bad guys,” Lambert wrote. “He was holding out, then holding in, and as a result, he wasn’t ready for the season, finishing with only 38 receptions and three touchdowns.”
Commanders’ $97 Million WR Terry McLaurin Called Out After Week 1