Commanders WR Terry McLaurin Talks Jayden Daniels, Myles Garrrett, More wRich Eisen

Rich got Terry McLaurin on the day the Myles Garrett trade broke, and after briefly turning the Commanders receiver into a pundit, the conversation found its real value: a player finally able to enjoy the offseason.

McLaurin called the Garrett deal a blockbuster, ranking the pass rusher among the top two at his position and top five in the league, before Rich let him drop the analyst hat. The contrast with a year ago was the point. Last spring, McLaurin was tangled in a contract standoff that bled into his season.

He did not dodge it. Asked whether the business wrecked his year, McLaurin admitted it intersected with his football in a big way. The hardest part was missing the team-building of spring, the stretch when everything is new. With the deal now behind him, he is back in the building every day, healthy, and helping a new offense come to life.

The personal backdrop made the year a lot to carry. McLaurin got married, traveled to Italy and the Maldives, navigated the contract fight and got hurt early. He came out of it having grown, leaning on a strong support system, and now sees Washington as the place he wants to finish his career.

The biggest reason for his optimism is Jayden Daniels. McLaurin has watched the quarterback go from focused rookie to vet, and this offseason he sees Daniels grabbing the wheel of the offense. The famously laid-back passer is getting louder, gathering receivers to throw in Los Angeles before OTAs and texting McLaurin about routes heading into Memorial Day weekend.

"All right, we cut on the weekend now," McLaurin recalled thinking, figuring the route could wait until Monday. That, he said, is just who Daniels is. The continuity matters, too. This is the first time in McLaurin's career he will have the same quarterback start three straight years.

He is also sold on new coordinator David Blough, whose philosophy he summed up as wanting the same things to look different and different things to look the same. The disguised formations let McLaurin manipulate defensive backs, which, as he put it, is music to a receiver's ears.

Then came the draft talk, and the Ohio State pride poured out. McLaurin had buzzed around his front office urging them to grab a Buckeye, and when Washington landed linebacker Sonny Styles, he was thrilled, praising a former team captain who carries himself like a grown man. He offered the same admiration for receiver Carnell Tate, another Buckeye he expects to thrive.

All of which set up the part Rich enjoyed most. A Michigan man, Rich gifted McLaurin a Dusty May-autographed piece of the Wolverines' championship floor as a late wedding present, then needled him about Michigan knocking Ohio State out of five Big Ten tournaments.

McLaurin took it in stride, admitting he never lost to Michigan as a player and now gets bullied by teammate Mike Sainristil, a Wolverine. He trains at Ohio State to dislike the color blue, he said, but conceded the Michigan men he has met are solid people. Rivalry intact, respect included.