Terry McLaurin arrives at Commanders camp with ankle injury in latest twist to contract saga

Terry McLaurin’s training camp holdout lasted just four days.

But even after the star Commanders receiver reported Sunday, he still won’t be practicing for at least the foreseeable future.

McLaurin, 29, arrived at camp with an ankle injury and will be placed on the physically unable to perform list, Washington head coach Dan Quinn told reporters Sunday.

The severity of the ankle injury will remain unknown until McLaurin — who’s looking to extend his current deal that expires after the 2025 season — goes through tests. Quinn added Sunday contract talks regarding the “business side of things” will continue, even with McLaurin on the PUP list, as the sides are still “apart” in negotiations, according to ESPN.

“It was great,” Quinn told reporters when asked about McLaurin’s presence at camp. “I’m really pumped that he’s here. He’s such an awesome competitor. We had a chance to spend some time together yesterday, so yeah, it was great to see.”

McLaurin, a former third-round pick, has topped 1,000 receiving yards in each of his last five seasons, and in 2024, as the Commanders made an unexpected run to the NFC Championship game behind rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, he caught 82 passes for 1,096 yards and 13 touchdowns during the regular season.

Then, across three playoff games, McLaurin added another 227 yards and three touchdowns.

But the contract wrinkle was always looming, even as Washington added other pieces during the offseason and appeared set to make future runs with Daniels as their signal-caller.

McLaurin told reporters July 15 that he wants to remain with the Commanders, but expressed frustration about the current status of contract talks, saying there hadn’t been discussions in over a month and he wanted to see progress before stepping onto the field.

“I’ve been pretty frustrated, not going to lie,” McLaurin said at the time. “Everything that has transpired has been pretty disappointing. I want to continue my career here, I’ve created my life here, so I want to be here. Just to see how things have played out has been disappointing.”

McLaurin skipped the Commanders’ mandatory minicamp and was fined $105,000, according to The Washington Post, and that number reportedly climbed to over $300,000 after missing the first four days of training camp.

The 29-year-old will make $15.5 million this season on his current deal, and he “seemed very much like himself” after reporting to camp, Quinn said.

“Terry is always a serious competitor, a pro’s pro,” Quinn said, according to the Washington Post. “He handles things the right way. He’s built a lot with his teammates here.”

Washington opens the regular season at home against the Giants on Sept. 7.