When Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin went down, he wasn’t feeling sorry for himself.

It’s easy, when we suffer disappointments, to become discouraged, feel sorry for ourselves, and wallow in self-pity. But during his weekly appearance on “The Sports Junkies” on 106.7 The Fan, Washington GM Adam Peters said he went down on the field and then to the locker room to be with Terry McLaurin.

“We’re just gutted for Terry,” said Peters. “I can’t say enough good things about Terry. We went through the contract negotiations last year, which was not fun for anybody. But the way Terry came in this year, I couldn’t be more impressed and just thankful for a player like him and for his leadership, the way he attacked the offseason.”

Peters spoke of how not only is McLaurin the WR1 for the Commanders, but McLaurin is genuinely looked up to in the locker room, practice field and on game day. Players know Terry will battle for the ball, battle on blocks, etc. He’ll do whatever is necessary for the Washington Commanders.

“Not only on the field but off the field, his leadership. He was a captain, a captain in every sense of the word on and off the field for us this year. So for all of the work that he put in, as good as he has looked, as good as he has been playing. For that to happen to him on something like that, you are just gutted. You feel for him.”

Peters then told of how when he arrived to be with McLaurin it was an obviously terrible injury. But there was McLaurin turning the attention away from how bad of shape he was in, to the 2026 team.

“The first thing he said to me is, ‘I’ll be here for these guys. I’m going to be with these guys every step of the way moving forward.’ That’s the type of guy he is. He’s not even worried about himself. He’s worried about continuing to lead this team. I got a ton of respect for him."

A patellar tendon tear is bad enough to end his season. Rehab will be long, and McLaurin will be 32 next season. It would be great to see McLaurin step up beyond expectations to coach, mentor, and encourage younger Commanders receivers throughout the remainder of the season.

For a guy like McLaurin, he’s used to leading and thinking about others on the team. It’s what a team player does, and McLaurin is clearly a team player.