If you want to point to a decision the Washington Commanders made that may have signaled they were headed in the wrong direction over the last two seasons, start with their 2024 in-season trade for New Orleans Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore.
Let’s start with the fact that the Commanders, who added Lattimore in hopes of cementing their contender status, made a deal for a player who wasn’t just past his prime but was actually injured at the time of the trade.
Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski recently put the Lattimore trade in the spotlight, calling it the NFL’s “Biggest Trade Deadline Mistake” of the last decade.
Traded before Week 10, Lattimore missed six of nine possible regular-season games for the Commanders — four immediately after the trade, before returning for two games, re-injuring his hamstring, and missing the final two games of the year.
The Commanders sent their 2025 3rd-, 4th-, and 6th-round picks to the New Orleans Saints for Lattimore.
“Lattimore, who had been named to four Pro Bowls in New Orleans as one of the game’s best pure cover corners, was already dealing with a hamstring injury at the time of the deal,” Sobleski wrote on November 6. “He played in only two regular-season games for the Commanders in 2024, although he did participate in their run to the NFC Championship Game. The veteran cornerback tore his ACL during the following season. Eventually, Washington released him during the 2026 offseason. In the end, Lattimore played in 14 total games (including postseason) with the Commanders. Even when Lattimore contributed in 2025, Washington still ranked among the league’s bottom five in pass defense.”
Commanders Cut Lattimore in Salary Cap Move
The Commanders released Lattimore on March 6 to open up $18.5 million in salary cap space.
“Commanders have informed former Pro-Bowl CB Marshon Lattimore that they intend to release him before the new league year begins, a move that will save the team $18.5 million in salary cap space, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on March 6.
Lattimore Could Be Facing NFL Punishment
Lattimore still had 1 year remaining on the 5-year, $97.6 million contract extension he signed with the Saints in September 2021. The Commanders didn’t incur any dead cap hit after releasing Lattimore, who had already been paid all the guaranteed money in his contract.
The No. 11 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, Lattimore has approximately $104.7 million in career earnings through the end of the 2025 season.
Perhaps the bigger concern for any team looking to sign Lattimore, who remains without a job, is possible NFL punishment after his January 7 arrest on weapons charges in Ohio.
“(Lattimore) was arrested last night outside of Cleveland on charges of carrying a concealed weapon and improperly handling a firearm in a motor vehicle,” 7 News DC’s Scott Abraham wrote on his official X account along with a picture of Lattimore’s mug shot. ” … According to the Lakewood police department, Marshon was a passenger in a vehicle stopped for expired plates and other traffic violations. During the stop, Marshon did not tell the officer that there was a firearm in the vehicle when asked.”
Commanders Called Out for NFL’s ‘Biggest Trade Deadline Mistake’