Washington Commanders fans can breathe a sigh of relief with news that star wide receiver Terry McLaurin has finally signed a new deal.

Over his six NFL seasons, McLaurin had become the "heartbeat" of the offense, one former Washington assistant coach told ESPN recently, providing energy, emotion and passion for the unit and who was routinely voted a team captain. For those reasons, the coach said, the deal needed to get done.

The Washington Commanders and top wide receiver Terry McLaurin have agreed on a three-year contract extension worth $96 million, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Monday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the agreement had not been announced.