When it comes to cornerback Marshon Lattimore, it’s fair to ask at this point if the Washington Commanders think they’re getting anything close to what they paid for.
If they do, it would be interesting to see exactly how they came to that conclusion.
By any metric, it seems like the Commanders gave up too much to get Lattimore in a midseason trade with the New Orleans Saints last year. Not to mention they’re about to pay him $36 million over the next 2 years — $18 million each in 2025 and 2026.
It’s the definition of a substandard move for a defense that was an afterthought last year despite the Commanders making it to the NFC Championship Game.
Lattimore’s presence — or lack thereof — could be one of the things that defines the Commanders in 2025 as they enter the season as legitimate Super Bowl contenders for the first time in a generation.
The Commanders gave up third round, fourth round and fifth round picks in 2025 for Lattimore last year, then watched and waited as he missed 6 games with a hamstring injury. When Lattimore returned for the final 2 regular season games and 3 playoff games, he was almost a complete non-factor.
His 2 signature moments with the Commanders last year came in a regular-season win over the Eagles in which he got called for 3 pass interference penalties, and a playoff loss to the Eagles in which he got in a fight with NFL All-Pro wide receive A.J. Brown.
Commanders Defense Shredded by Barkley
Eagles running back and NFL Offensive Player of the Year Saquon Barkley toyed with the Commanders in 3 meetings last year — something the franchise tried to address by getting bigger and more physical on defense in the offseason.
The thinking is Lattimore will fit better with a defense tailored to be elite than with the ragtag crew the Commanders rolled out in 2024.
“The offseason plan was clear: Get bigger,” The Athletic’s Ben Standig wrote on June 30. “Saquon Barkley dominated in three meetings, and many others ran over the Commanders. New linemen Javon Kinlaw and Deatrich Wise are massive humans, and second-round cornerback Trey Amos brings good size on the perimeter. Washington needs a healthy CB Marshon Lattimore and a motivated DT Daron Payne. Early signs show promise on both fronts. Still, there are scant scary pass rushers and bigger isn’t always better versus the run.”
Lattimore Called NFL’s ‘Most Overpaid Player’
Lattimore will switch jersey numbers back to his college jersey — No. 2 — in 2025.
Hopefully it will jump start Lattimore to go back to being the elite player he was at Ohio State and in his first 5 seasons with the Saints, when he was a 4-time Pro Bowl pick and the 2017 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon called Lattimore out as the “Most Overpaid Player” on Washington’s roster headed into 2025.
“(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.”
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