Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin has a massive fanbase hoping he can provide critical receiving support for rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. But among his many followers is a surprising one: NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Jr., a die-hard Commanders fan who recently shared some high praise for the star wideout.
What Did Dale Earnhardt Jr. Say About Terry McLaurin?
As many Commanders fans know, McLaurin is currently dealing with a quad injury, and his status for the team’s Week 6 game remains uncertain. Head coach Dan Quinn sounded “optimistic” about the receiver’s potential return earlier this week. On Thursday, McLaurin was spotted on the practice field, although he was not in uniform. Amid the injury concerns, Earnhardt spoke about McLaurin’s character as a player and a person.
Terry McLaurin spotted at practice, did some work with trainers. Washington has advantage of extra day with the game not until Monday night@JPFinlayNBCS #RaiseHail#Commanders pic.twitter.com/1uL5BHYLWZ
— NBC4 Sports (@NBC4Sports) October 9, 2025
“From what I’ve seen, Terry has an incredible character,” Earnhardt said, according to an interview with Hard Rock Bets. “Yeah. And he’s absolutely the kind of guy who owns the locker room. I believe he fits right in that top three, top five value that we’ve seen from the wide receivers.”
“With all the different quarterbacks and uncertainty and poor offensive line play and all that, last year we saw him when given the time how he could develop his roots and even separate from people,” Earnhardt continued. “We’d never seen him do that before. You know, the pass over the shoulder in the Bengals game. I’ve never seen a receiver in a while get separation and be able to make that play. Terry made plays all year long like that. So, I think he’s got a lot left in the tank.”
Washington drafted McLaurin in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft, and he has spent all seven of his NFL seasons with the franchise. The Commanders sit sixth in PFSN’s Offensive Impact Rankings with an offensive impact score of 86.7. In three games during the 2025 NFL season, McLaurin has recorded 10 receptions for 149 yards and no touchdowns. With Daniels now throwing him the ball, McLaurin aims to build on those totals as the season progresses.
Meanwhile, Earnhardt has been vocal about his own sport, going on record as not being a fan of NASCAR’s current playoff system. “Everybody knows that I like a season long format,” Earnhardt said on a recent episode of his “Dale Jr. Download” podcast.
“And I’m absolutely, if you know whatever they go to, if it’s the four race final round or if they go to like the original chase of a 10 race,” he added. “I don’t know what they’re going to do. All that’ll be great you know. I’m not going to be, ‘Oh, darn it’, pounding the table if the full season thing don’t come back.”
For now, Earnhardt can take his mind off his NASCAR concerns and hopefully watch McLaurin make more incredible catches for the Commanders.
