Marshon Lattimore
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Washington Commanders quarterback Marshon Lattimore.
At last year’s NFL trade deadline, the Washington Commanders weren’t just one of the NFL’s hottest buyers, they were a destination players on other teams were actively trying to get dealt to.
Last year, the Commanders went out and made a blockbuster deal, sending a 2025 third round pick, 2025 fourth round pick and 2026 sixth round pick to the New Orleans Saints in exchange for Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore and a 2025 fifth round pick.
ESPN’s Seth Walder singled the deal out as he re-evaluated last year’s big time trades, with the Commanders seeming like winners at the time but one year later clearly having gotten the short end of the stick.
Since joining the Commanders, Lattimore has either been out with a hamstring injury or been notable for getting absolutely cooked by opposing wide receivers when he has been on the field — he’s also second in the NFL among conerbacks with 7 penalties in 2025.
“Had the Saints kept Lattimore and tried to trade him this offseason, I’m guessing they wouldn’t have gotten nearly the same return because of his hamstring injury and the uptick in his salary from 2024 to 2025,” Walder wrote on October 21. “In retrospect, It’s hard to view this deal as anything but a pure win for New Orleans.”
Lattimore’s Struggles Have Been Well Documented
The real killer for the Commanders has been that, because of their initial investment in the trade, they were already low pot committed to have Lattimore on the roster in 2025. Which mean also having his $18 million salary on the books — an insane amount to pay for a player who produces as little as Lattimore.
According to Pro Football Focus, Lattimore has been one of the NFL’s worst cornerbacks in 2025 with a 44.0 overall grade — ranking him 107th out of 112 eligible players at his position.
It’s a steep fall from being a 4-time Pro Bowler with the Saints, an NFL All-Pro in 2019 and the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Named One of NFL’s ‘Most Overpaid Players’
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon called out Latimore as the “Most Overpaid Player” on the Commanders’ roster in 2025. His $18 million salary in 2025 is part of the $36.5 million he’s over the final 2 seasons of the 5-year, $97.6 million contract extension he signed with the Saints in September 2021.
“(Lattimore) didn’t suddenly get it back in a new setting down the stretch in 2024, and that’s unlikely to change as he hasn’t really been a reliable NFL presence since 2021,” Gagnon wrote. “The 28-year-old’s best days are far behind him, but he will cost Washington $18 million as the eighth-highest-paid cornerback in the league in 2025.”
Lattimore only played in 2 of a possible 8 regular-season games after the trade, but was on the roster for all 3 of Washington’s postseason games on the way to the franchise’s first NFC Championship Game appearance since 1991.
Lattimor was one of 3 high priced Pro Bowlers the Commanders traded for at the end of last season and the offseason, although none have produced much for the team yet — they also cut deals for Houston Texans left offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil ($21.2 million) and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel ($17 million).