When Could Terry McLaurin Return? What NFL History Says About Patellar Tendon Tears

The Washington Commanders learned Tuesday that veteran receiver Terry McLaurin suffered a torn patellar tendon in his left knee during Monday night's 23–17 loss to San Francisco. McLaurin, 31, had to be carted off the field after suffering a non-contact injury in which he fell to the field and clutched his left knee. Dan Quinn spoke about it at his press conference Tuesday: "He'll get surgery, and he's going to miss the rest of the season. So I had a chance to speak with him last night on the plane and again after testing today," Quinn said. "Man, I'm gutted for him as a captain and one of our real leaders. So we're all here to support him. That was certainly tough news."

What NFL History Says About Patellar Tendon Tears

Looking ahead, NFL history shows us a median return timeline of around 11.4 months, according to a 2025 study in the Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine that examined patellar tendon and quadriceps tendon injuries among NFL players. The study identified 45 NFL players with patellar tendon tears; 26 of them returned to play at least one game (57.8% return rate). The middle 50% of return times ranged from approximately 9.7 to 12.6 months.

Two solid, but different examples of players who returned from injury are former New York Giants WR Victor Cruz and former Saints/Seahawks TE Jimmy Graham. Both had the injury; both had different timelines to return. Cruz tore his patellar tendon on October 12, 2014, against Philly, but also had a completely separate calf injury during his return that led to him missing the entire 2015 season. In September of 2016, he finally returned after 700 days and caught a touchdown in his return. Graham tore his on November 29, 2015, had surgery, and returned for the 2016 season. He did miss a lot of training camp and all of preseason, but by November 2016, Graham was producing at a high level again, including an eight-catch, 103-yard, two-touchdown performance against Buffalo.

If your brain is already doing forward math, the study's median time to return to play was 11.4 months for those who returned, which would put McLaurin sometime around early October 2027.
It is important to note: no timeline has been set for Terry McLaurin, and returning to practice, being cleared for contact, and playing in an NFL game are all different checkpoints.

With McLaurin, an emotional, fiery team leader and captain, gone for the season, the team will now need more from Stefon Diggs and the other receivers on the roster. Quinn talked a bit about the depth at his presser Tuesday: "I felt him in so many unique ways this season, from training camp to in-season. For him to even start the game like he did, I thought was significant. So we do have a deep crew at that position, and we'll lean in on a number of the guys to find some of the unique roles that Terry does." McLaurin's contested catch ability is something the team will miss. Quinn acknowledged that, "Terry's superpower is really on the contested catches, and that's one of the things that makes him excellent. But it's a big hit, and we'll lean on a number of guys."

For those wondering, the Commanders do have a potential out in McLaurin's contract after this season, according to Spotrac, but as the graphic above shows, it would come with a considerable amount of dead cap ($25.5 million). There's been no indication Washington is considering that option, and the bigger question right now is what McLaurin's recovery will look like heading into 2027.

Follow us on Facebook for the latest Washington Commanders news, injury updates, analysis, and more from Commanders on SI.

Add us as a preferred source on Google