Terry McLaurin Carted Off With Left Knee Injury and Ruled Out Against the 49ers

Updated 01:58 UTC. Terry McLaurin's season is over. An MRI on Tuesday showed the Washington receiver tore the patellar tendon in his left knee in Monday night's 23 to 17 loss at San Francisco, and head coach Dan Quinn confirmed on Tuesday that McLaurin will have surgery and miss the rest of the season. "I'm gutted for him," Quinn said. NFL insider Ian Rapoport had reported on Tuesday morning that the injury was feared to be season ending, and the scan confirmed it. McLaurin finishes the season as Washington's leading receiver, with 15 catches for 230 yards and one touchdown. Stefon Diggs now leads the Washington receiver group, and rookie Antonio Williams is set for a larger role.

Washington lost its top receiver in the first quarter on Monday night. Terry McLaurin went down on a third down play against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium, grabbed his left knee, and could not get up. The medical staff put his left leg in an air cast, helped him onto a cart, and took him off the field while players from both teams came over to wish him well.

The Commanders ruled McLaurin out for the rest of the game with a knee injury a short time later. The team gave no further detail on Monday night, and there was no word on how much time he might miss. Reporters at the game, among them ESPN's John Keim, posted on X that McLaurin left with an air cast on his left leg, and NFL Network's Ian Rapoport called it a potentially serious knee injury.

How it happened

McLaurin was running a route on third down with about two minutes left in the first quarter, covered closely by 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir, when his left leg gave out as he went to the ground. He stayed down, holding his left knee and in clear pain. The injury looked non-contact: no defender hit his knee on the play.

He had already made his mark on the game. On Washington's first possession, Jayden Daniels found McLaurin for 27 yards down the right sideline, the one big play on a drive that ended with a 51 yard field goal by Drew Stevens. San Francisco led 13 to 3 in the second quarter when this article was published, and the game was still in progress. No final score is reported here.

A season already broken up by injury

McLaurin came into Monday night still managing a hamstring problem, and he had already missed time this season. He missed seven games in 2025 because of injuries. Before Monday, he had played four games this season, with 14 catches for 203 yards and one touchdown, and Washington's passing game runs through him when he is healthy. Stefon Diggs is the other main target, and Diggs also took a hit in the first half that hurt his right ring finger. Diggs returned to the game after treatment, according to NBC Sports.

Washington arrived in Santa Clara at 1-3-1, trying to recover from a tie last week in which a late clock mistake cost the team a chance at a winning field goal in overtime. San Francisco arrived at 5-0, one of three unbeaten teams left in the league. Losing McLaurin for the rest of Monday night left Daniels without the receiver he trusts most on third down, on a night when Washington was already chasing the game.

What happens next depends on medical checks after the game. A cart, an air cast and a quick ruled out call point to a serious night for McLaurin, but the Commanders said only that it was a knee injury. Until the team gives a diagnosis, the honest position is simple: Washington's best receiver is hurt, he is out, and nobody yet knows for how long.