Terry McLaurin is entering the fourth season of his NFL career in 2022. At the conclusion of his third season, McLaurin was eligible for a contract extension.
Outside of the Washington Commanders landing quarterback Carson Wentz, McLaurin’s contract has been a hot topic surrounding the team. Washington began OTAs last week and McLaurin was not present as he seeks a new deal.
McLaurin isn’t the only fourth-year wideout expected to cash in this offseason. A.J. Brown already received his money after the Titans traded him to the Eagles, while Deebo Samuel has been outspoken about wanting a deal and DK Metcalf is also expected to land a lucrative new contract.
Where does McLaurin rank among the four fourth-year wide receivers?
Pro Football Focus recently ranked the top 32 wide receivers in the NFL and separated them into four tiers: Elite, young talents on the cusp of tier 1, former tier-1 veterans eyeing a bounce-back/getting healthy and maybe not elite but high-quality pass catchers.
PFF ranked McLaurin No. 14 and in the second tier. He was ranked behind Samuel, Brown and Metcalf, who were No’s 9, 10 and 11, respectively.
McLaurin’s 2.8% drop rate since 2020 is the ninth-lowest in the NFL, while his rate of catchable targets ranks 59th (70%). Needless to say, he’s been doing whatever he can to deal with a bad quarterback situation.
McLaurin did see far more contested targets in 2021, and his 25 contested catches led the NFL and helped him record the fourth-best catch rate on such plays at the position.
McLaurin has shown he can produce at a higher level than this ranking — his 2019 rookie campaign when he tied for sixth in PFF grade at 85.7, for example — but sustaining that is another thing.
That feels too low for McLaurin. He is sometimes punished for what some consider a lack of statistics. Yet, McLaurin has gone over 1,000 yards in each of the last two seasons and should have in his rookie season. And he’s done it with a revolving door of quarterbacks.
McLaurin’s ability on contested catches despite lacking elite size further proves he’s one of the NFL’s top wideouts.
The Commanders hope Wentz’s big arm creates more scoring opportunities for McLaurin in 2022 and beyond.