We are at the point of the season for the Washington Commanders, where players want to get out of the game healthy and enter the offseason. They’ve been eliminated from the playoffs, and fans want Washington to lose for draft positioning. It’s a difficult time for coaches and players.
But that doesn’t mean there still aren’t things to play for. We often hear players must play for pride in these situations. That’s true, but most players want to win and get paid. And these late-season games have financial motivation for some players.
We aren’t sure if any incentives could be reached for some of Washington’s veterans on Sunday, but wide receiver Terry McLaurin is 54 yards shy of 1,000 receiving yards. Again, we don’t know if a clause in his contract allows McLaurin to reach another bonus if he hits that milestone, but it wouldn’t be a surprise.
This is where we get back to playing for pride. McLaurin is a prideful player, and this has been a difficult season. If he goes over 1,000 yards, he’d become the first wide receiver in franchise history to go over 1,000 receiving yards in four consecutive seasons. McLaurin came close to going over 1,000 as a rookie but was hamstrung by ineffective quarterback plays, which has hindered his numbers throughout his first five NFL seasons.
Offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy is always aware that McLaurin needs 54 yards and seems motivated to ensure he reaches that milestone.
“Terry has an opportunity to go and get a thousand yards receiving,” Bieniemy said Thursday. “I’m like, ‘Hey man, listen, we 54 yards away. You got to make it happen.’”
McLaurin isn’t the type of player to talk about individual accolades, but accomplishing that goal would be important after such a difficult season.