Terry McLaurin Out For The Season After Torn Patellar Tendon

Terry McLaurin (Image: NFL)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin tore the patellar tendon in his left knee in the first quarter of Monday night’s 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers. McLaurin will miss the remainder of the season.

After the game, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said the injury “could be significant” and that “there’s fear” about what the results could have been.

The next day, test results showed McLaurin will miss the rest of the season.

“Man, he brings a lot on and off the field,” Quinn said. “It’s a big hit, and we’ll lean on a number of guys.”

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McLaurin ran a route on third-and-9 with 2:16 in the first quarter, attempting to cut sharply outside before his knee gave out. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels was sacked on the play.

“He’s a brother to me. It sucks,” Daniels said. “You see how hard he works … Praying for Terry. He’s been there for me through a lot since I came into this league, the adverse times I went through last year and so far this year, and he’s been right by my side. I love Terry and appreciate him a lot.”

McLaurin has made an impact on the team so far this season; he leads the team in receptions with 15, with 230 receiving yards and one touchdown. Prior to exiting the game, McLaurin caught a 27-yard reception on the Commanders’ first drive to set up a field goal.

Reliability has been McLaurin’s strongest trait in the NFL; before 2025, he played 72 consecutive games. He sat out seven games in 2025, and this season he missed Week 4 against the Indianapolis Colts after a hamstring injury.

Since entering the league, McLaurin has been the Commanders’ top receiver, with five consecutive 1,000-yard seasons from 2020 to 2024.

McLaurin signed a three-year contract extension before last season. His contract will count $34 million against the salary cap in 2027 and $39.5 million in 2028. If the Commanders want to reshape the team, they could either restructure his contract to create space or release him to save $8.5 million next year.

Arop Kual