Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin will miss the rest of the season with a torn patellar tendon in his left knee, head coach Dan Quinn announced on Tuesday.
McLaurin was carted off late in the first quarter of Monday night’s 23-17 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Santa Clara. Running a pass route to the sideline against cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, he went down under minimal contact and grabbed at his knee. He was fitted with an air cast and driven off the field; an MRI on Tuesday confirmed the team’s fears, and he will have season-ending surgery.
A brutal blow for Washington
The numbers show what the Commanders are losing. McLaurin, the team captain, finishes the season with 15 receptions on 27 targets for one touchdown and a team-leading 230 yards in five games. The 31-year-old is in his eighth NFL season, all with Washington, with 513 career receptions for 7,191 yards and 42 touchdowns across 112 games.
“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.” The two-time Pro Bowl selection is in the first year of a three-year, $96 million extension, and Washington, now 1-4-1 headed into its bye week, must replace its most productive weapon. The options include veteran Stefon Diggs, Treylon Burks, Dyami Brown, rookie Antonio Williams and tight end Chig Okonkwo.
The wider picture
McLaurin had already missed the October 4 loss in London with a hamstring injury before returning with four catches for 62 yards against the Giants. The patellar tendon tear is a far graver matter, with a long rehabilitation ahead for a receiver whose game is built on explosion.
It has been a punishing week across sports, from the ALCS rainout chaos to baseball’s big weekend of winner-take-all drama. Reuters’ reporting notes the injury puts McLaurin’s future in Washington into question, with significant salary-cap decisions looming next spring.
