Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin will play with a new quarterback in 2024 — again. In McLaurin’s five NFL seasons, he has had a different starting Week 1 quarterback every year. That number will grow to six in September regardless of who starts under center for the Commanders.
In total, McLaurin has played with 11 different quarterbacks in his five NFL seasons. If he catches passes from rookie Jayden Daniels and veteran Marcus Mariota, that will make it 13 quarterbacks. Washington is hoping the buck stops with Daniels.
The Commanders selected Daniels No. 2 overall in April’s NFL draft, hoping he would become their franchise quarterback for the next decade or more. That would mean McLaurin finally finds stability under center.
Which other veteran wide receivers have fared the best with a rookie quarterback? Jordan Dajani of CBS recently listed the 10 best seasons for a wide receiver playing with a rookie passer.
Here’s the list:
- 1. 2011: Steve Smith/Cam Newton, 1,394 yards, 7 TDs
- 2. 2008: Roddy White/Matt Ryan, 1,382 yards, 7 TDs
- 3. 2012: Reggie Wayne/Andrew Luck, 1,355 yards, 5 TDs
- 4. 2023: Nico Collins/C.J. Stroud, 1,297, 8 TDs
- 5. 2015: Mike Evans/Jameis Winston, 1,206 yards, 3 TDs
- 6. 2012: Brian Hartline/Ryan Tannehill, 1,054 yards
- 7. 1996: Isaac Bruce/Tony Banks, 1,034 yards
- 8. 2008: Derrick Mason/Joe Flacco, 1,005 yards
- 9. 2011: A.J. Green/Andy Dalton, 1,002 yards
- 10. 2013: Vincent Jackson/Mike Glennon, 959 yards
If Daniels can play all 17 games in 2024, there’s a good chance he and McLaurin can crack this list, perhaps pretty high on this list. McLaurin has gone over 1,000 yards in the past four seasons and almost did in his rookie season. And he’s done without consistency at quarterback and offensive coordinator.
Kliff Kingsbury is Washington’s offensive coordinator and comes from an Air Raid background. While Kingsbury shied away from calling his 2024 offense the Air Raid, the offense will have ties to the passing game made famous by Mike Leach.