Terry McLaurin's patience is paying off thanks to Jayden Daniels and it's resulting in a much-deserved career year
Since 2019, Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin has the eighth-most receiving yards (6,179) on the 12th-most receptions (439). His 14.1 yards per reception is tied for sixth-highest among wide receivers with at least 471 targets and he's well on his way to a fourth-straight season with at least 1,000 receiving yards.McLaurin's 66.4 receiving […]
Since 2019, Washington Commanders star wide receiver Terry McLaurin has the eighth-most receiving yards (6,179) on the 12th-most receptions (439). His 14.1 yards per reception is tied for sixth-highest among wide receivers with at least 471 targets and he's well on his way to a fourth-straight season with at least 1,000 receiving yards.
McLaurin's 66.4 receiving yards per game over that span are better than names like D.K. Metcalf, Brandon Aiyuk, Tee Higgins, and Deebo Samuel. Yet when people talk about the NFL's best wideouts, his name is often left out of the conversation.
That's all changing in 2024, however, as the arrival of Jayden Daniels has perfectly complemented McLaurin's already-great skillset. McLaurin has suffered through quarterback purgatory throughout his career, but he's patiently persevered while becoming one of the team's most important players and biggest leaders. As a result, he is now reaping what will easily be his best season, yet.
"To get to play with a great player like Jayden has been a joy, honestly," McLaurin told reporters after the Commanders' 42-19 win over the Tennessee Titans. "I've had a lot of fun, this season, growing and learning from him and helping him any way I can. And you know with him, he's going to give you the opportunity to make a play on the ball. He's extremely accurate and he plays with a lot of confidence. I think that rubs off on all of us."
McLaurin is on pace to record 80 receptions for 1,171 yards and 12 touchdowns. He's already recorded the most touchdowns of his career in a single season. The reception total and yardage would both be the second-best marks of his career, which are currently 87 and 1,191, respectively. His mark of 68.9 yards per game is third-best and his 74.4% catch rate and 62.2% catch rate are on pace to smash his former highs of 64.9% and 57.0%, respectively.
Heading into Monday Night Football in Week 13, he's the NFC's second-leading receiver behind Justin Jefferson in terms of receiving yards and his nine receiving touchdowns are tied for second-most across the entire NFL.
It's obvious these two have formed a connection and it goes all the way back to the offseason when McLaurin talked about being patient and helping Daniels learn the ropes, along with other insights. It's easy to get excited about where things can go from here, as well.
"It's exciting, because I feel like him and I still have a lot of room to grow," said McLaurin. "But it's not just me, it's the tight ends, the running backs, [and] the other receivers. He does a great job of giving us opportunities to make plays and we just did a better job this week [of] coming through for him. And that's what [it's] going to take.
"Every throw or play may not be as clean as we want, but if we're on the other side making those tough plays and continuing to allow him just to be comfortable and throw the ball around the yard, we're going to have success."
"It's gonna always continue to grow," Daniels said of their relationship. "[It's the] 13th game of the season, so obviously there's still a rapport, but it's still our first year together. So it's going to continue to grow [and we'll] continue to learn more about each other."
The future is as bright as ever and there's an added bonus in the form of the fact that McLaurin is under contract through the 2025 season. And with the way this relationship is shaping up, he'll easily earn another big deal from Washington when the time is right. So, actually, Daniels is boosting his career in the best ways both on and off the field.
Now that's the ultimate teammate.
