The Washington Commanders and top wide receiver Terry McLaurin have agreed on a three-year contract extension worth $96 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.
McLaurin initially did not show up to training camp and then landed on the physically unable to perform list once he reported. After asking for a trade when negotiations were at a standstill, he recently had been activated in the hopes of being available for the season opener on Sept. 7 against the NFC East rival New York Giants.
A deal got done less than two weeks before that game, keeping McLaurin under contract through the 2028 NFL season. Co-owner Magic Johnson said he was thrilled the Commanders re-signed McLaurin to a deal that reportedly includes a $30 million signing bonus and is not expected to become official until Tuesday.
“Job well done by my partner Josh Harris and GM Adam Peters,” Johnson posted on social media, calling it great news for players, the organization and fans. “Terry is more than just a great football player, he is an outstanding leader and does tremendous things in the (Washington area) community.”
McLaurin, who turns 30 in September, was going into the final year of his current deal, signed in 2022. He has eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving five seasons in a row and fell just 81 short as a rookie when he missed time because of injury.
A 2019 third-round pick out of Ohio State, McLaurin became one of just five players in league history with 900-plus yards receiving and 50 catches apiece in each of his first six seasons, despite Washington cycling through quarterbacks until Jayden Daniels arrived last year.
McLaurin became a focal point with Daniels running the show on the way to being named AP Offensive Rookie of the Year. He caught 87 passes for 1,096 yards last season to help the Commanders made the playoffs, nearly doubling his career high in touchdowns with 13, then tying for the postseason lead with three more on an improbable run to the NFC championship game.
“He’s a heck of a player: dynamic, versatile player,” Giants coach Brian Daboll told reporters before his team’s practice in East Rutherford, New Jersey. “He makes a lot of plays, explosive, run after the catch. He was very productive last year with Jayden — productive before that, but even more so when you’ve got ‘5’ with him.”
Daboll called McLaurin an unbelievable person, dating to their predraft visit six years ago.
“He was just a genuine guy, very down to earth, very respectful, very smart,” Daboll said. “He was productive there at Ohio State. Just had a good vibe with him at the dinner that we had.”
One of the faces of the franchise and a popular teammate and fan favorite, McLaurin skipped portions of offseason workouts in hopes of getting paid in line with his production. The recent surge in receiver spending, including D.K. Metcalf’s five-year, $150 million deal following a trade to Pittsburgh, had dropped McLaurin’s annual average salary of $23.2 million to 17th among active players at the position.
The extension puts McLaurin into a tie for sixth with Philadelphia’s A.J. Brown at an average of $32 million, behind only Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase, Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson, Dallas’ CeeDee Lamb, Metcalf and the New York Jets’ Garrett Wilson.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
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