The Washington Commanders announced Saturday that they have activated All-Pro wide receiver Terry McLaurin off the physically unable to perform list.
The move is unrelated to McLaurin’s contract negotiations, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
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And, so, although McLaurin is making progress in his return from an ankle injury that bothered him late last season, his contract situation is still up in the air.
The Commanders star wideout is in the third year of a three-year, $68.4 million contract with an average annual salary (AAV) of $22.8 million. He skipped spring practices and mandatory minicamp and then held out the first week of training camp before reporting as a hold-in.
The seventh-year receiver was fined $200,000 for his four-day holdout.
McLaurin, who turns 30 in September, is looking for a new deal that reflects a surging wide receiver market and his WR1 value in a Commanders offense led by now-second-year quarterback Jayden Daniels. More specifically, McLaurin is targeting the $33 million AAV the Pittsburgh Steelers are now paying DK Metcalf, ESPN’s John Keim reported Saturday.
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It’s important to note, though, that Metcalf is 27. And as Yahoo Sports’ Charles Robinson pointed out, only two wide receivers in league history have signed contracts the year they were 30 or turning 30 that earned them more than $23 million annually: Tyreek Hill in 2024 with the Miami Dolphins ($30 million AAV) and Davante Adams ($28 million) with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022.
McLaurin has been vocal this offseason about his desire to continue his career in Washington. He did, however, request a trade on July 31 as contract frustrations boiled over.
McLaurin, now a two-time Pro Bowler, ranked second in the NFL last season with a career-best 13 touchdown catches. He also led the league with 24 contested catches during the regular season, according to Pro Football Focus.
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While spilling over 1,000 receiving yards for the fifth year in a row, McLaurin made 82 grabs, at least 37 more than every other Washington wideout during Daniels’ NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year campaign in 2024.
Now that McLaurin’s activated off the Commanders’ PUP list, he’s eligible to practice. That said, his return will likely begin with work off to the side with athletic trainers.
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