Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters was more active in the trade market this offseason than most expected, at least when it came to pre-NFL Draft movement.
Instead of signing big names in free agency, the Commanders' GM opted to go out and spend some capital to get some, bringing in receiver Deebo Samuel and offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil in the process.
While there are mixed opinions about what Washington is getting with those two, there's another trade acquisition who might present the team with its biggest roster decision of 2025, at least according to Sports Illustrated's John Pluym , who asks: What happens if Marshon Lattimore struggles?
"Lattimore is a four-time Pro Bowler, but he’s struggled to stay healthy and it’s fair to wonder if his best days are behind him," says Pluym. "Washington gave up a slew of draft picks for him at the trade deadline last year, including third-, fourth- and sixth-round selections. Lattimore has played only 26 games over the past three seasons, and should the Commanders release him, they’d save $34.5 million over the next two years with $2 million in dead money."
Given that the Commanders are not in dire need of cap space this season, the money owed to Lattimore isn't all that big of an influencer here. What is, is the fact that at his best the veteran corner is still one of the most feared defenders in the NFL today.
Outside of the Philadelphia Eagles and Tampa Bay Buccaneers who employed two of the game's best receivers (A.J. Brown and Mike Evans respectively) against him, there aren't many in the league who want to test the theory that Lattimore's best days are behind him.
Add to it that Peters has gone on record several times acknowledging the difficulty for a cornerback to join a defense mid-season, and to do it while nursing a hamstring injury, and the need for Lattimore to get fully healthy and to have a full offseason run up to the regular season, and we don't see the cornerback going anywhere anytime soon.
Worst case scenario, if it comes to that, is likely that the Commanders make either a mid-season move or release Lattimore from his contract at the end of the season, saving the team $18.5 million in the 2026 salary cap.
