Just before the 2025 season, the Washington Commanders have done it. The Commanders inked wide receiver Terry McLaurin to a three-year deal worth $96 million after he held out and asked to be traded in hopes of a new deal.
It was a long back-and-forth between the sides, and with Week 1 right around the corner, finding a way to lock McLaurin up long-term was a priority for the franchise.
After the news came, New York Knicks guard Josh Hart came to social media to celebrate.
“Yessir!!! We back!!!” Hart wrote on X.
Hart, who was born in Washington, D.C., is a Commanders fan and had fun with some of his Knicks teammates during the 2024 NFL season, including Jalen Brunson. After the Commanders defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in December, Hart trolled Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns following the game.
Unfortunately, the Commanders lost to the Eagles in the NFC title game and just missed the Super Bowl, and Brunson got payback on Hart.
Nonetheless, the drama with McLaurin was quite the storyline all offseason. In 2024, McLaurin recorded 82 catches for 1,096 yards with 13 touchdowns. McLaurin has 1,000 yards or more in each of his last five seasons, and he had 919 yards in his rookie season, all of which have come with the Commanders.
With Jayden Daniels entrenched as the team's quarterback, not having McLaurin on the field would've been a major blow to the Commanders' offense. Even as the season drew closer, Daniels remained optimistic that the Commanders would sign McLaurin and keep him around, although nobody really knew what the decision would be.
The Commanders are expected to compete with the Eagles for the NFC East title, and having their star WR in the fold should help them. Washington begins the year against the New York Giants at home on September 7, and the Daniels-McLaurin QB-WR duo remains intact.
