Commanders' Terry McLaurin Talks 'Extremely Challenging' 2025 Season, 'Hardest Year of My Life'

Amid his preparations for the 2026 NFL season, Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin reflected this week on what has been a trying past year for him.

McLaurin told The Athletic's Mike Jones, "This last year was the hardest year of my life—from the contract and getting hurt, and you know, I've been going through some stuff off the field, just personally. It's been extremely challenging."

Leading up to the 2025 season, McLaurin was in search of a new contract, and he finally got it last August, signing a three-year, $97 million deal through 2028.

Although McLaurin got what he wanted, the worst season of his seven-year NFL career followed, as he finished with career lows in receptions (38), receiving yardage (582) and receiving touchdowns (three).

A big reason for the drop-off in McLaurin's production is the fact that he missed seven games due to a quad injury, marking the first game action he missed since 2020.

On top of that, quarterback Jayden Daniels was limited to seven games because of multiple injuries, rendering him and the Washington offense unable to build upon their strong performance in 2024.

After Daniels helped lead the Commanders to a surprising 12-5 record and a trip to the NFC Championship Game in 2024, the team fell all the way back down to 5-12 last season.

The team looks much healthier entering the 2026 campaign, though, and McLaurin will look to get back to the form that saw him register five consecutive 1,000-yard receiving seasons from 2020 to 2024, resulting in two Pro Bowl selections.

McLaurin suggested to Jones that he is in a much better place entering the 2026 season than he was in 2025, saying, "I've seen myself grow as a man, grow spiritually, and grow as a teammate. So I just feel like I'm in a great space. … I wouldn't trade anything because it's built me into the person I am right now, and I just feel like I'm playing with a type of freedom that I haven't had. So I'm just looking forward to spilling that out for my team this year."

On top of that, McLaurin should have some added help in the passing game, as the Commanders recently signed four-time Pro Bowl and one-time First Team All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs.

Diggs should take at least some of the attention away from McLaurin, perhaps opening things up for McLaurin and giving him a chance to have the most productive season of his career.