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Terry McLaurin talks to the media after signing his new contract

It’s all smiles as Terry speaks to the media

By Bill-in-Bangkok

Terry McLaurin met with the media today to answer questions in the wake of signing his 3 year contract extension yesterday. He was introduced by head coach Ron Rivera, who said that signing Terry had been a priority. He also had an interesting comment about signings that still may come (whether this offseason or next) saying, “There’s still a couple of other guys that we want to get taken care of because we really do believe in who they are. In fact, in some situations, they’re gonna be playing into their last season, but that doesn’t mean they’re not wanted.” Sounds like the coach is trying to tell the fans that guys like Cole Holcomb and Daron Payne may be in the plans even if deals don’t get done for everyone before this season.

But today was all about Terry McLaurin. He was smiling and upbeat, but, as always professional and dignified, though he did seem to choke up with a bit of emotion once or twice.

Terry talked about the process of negotiation, saying that Ron Rivera had reached out to him to say how important it was to the team to reach an agreement. He said that Jon Allen and Logan Thomas, who have both been through the process of signing extensions, talked to him often and helped him maintain perspective. He praised his agent and thanked his family, friends and his girlfriend.

“Talking to my agent, to the conversations I’ve had with coach Rivera. It was very evident that they wanted me to be here and I wanted to be here.

“Obviously, this is a business. I’ve understood that since I got here. And that’s the tough part about it sometimes, is when now the business gets in the way of certain things. But at the end of the day, we got a deal done that worked for both sides. And I’m happy for the other guys in my peer group that are able to get what they deserve as well. But it was just about trying to come to an agreement that was best for myself and this organization. And I felt like we did that. So I’m just really excited about what’s to come.”

Terry talked about Washington, and about wanting to be here to work towards rebuilding the franchise, and he referenced meeting Gary Clark and having conversations with Doug Williams about what it looked like to be on a championship team and how to help the Commanders rebuild that legacy.

“I feel like to coach Rivera’s credit and the staff here that we have a really unselfish group of guys in that locker room. We have a lot of guys who are competitive and hungry. And they want to see Washington be back on top,” McLaurin said. “We all know where we want to head to. And I think we’re all on the same page with that. But we also understand that it’s going to take the work and dedication from everybody involved to get there.

“I want to be a part of that. It’s a place where I was drafted to. A place where the fans show me so much love and appreciation and are so passionate about just this fan base and this organization and the history of it — something I wanted to be a part of, especially with where we’re at now and where I feel like we’re heading.”

As always, Terry appeared humble and thankful, talking about being an underdog and a hard worker, and always putting team first, trusting that individual success will follow team success.

The Press Conference

Words from Ron Rivera

The negotiation

Jonathan Allen & Logan Thomas

The signing

Carson Wentz

Wanting to remain in Washington

Meeting Washington greats

Distractions & missing practices

Hard work and future goals

The future of other Commanders players

Coach & player

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