The trade for Marshon Lattimore shows the Commanders are firmly trying to maximize Jayden Daniels's rookie contract window and win now, but it doesn't come without some acceptable level of risk for Washington.
Lattimore has been a lockdown cornerback his entire career, earning four Pro Bowl berths with the New Orleans Saints. But he's been hampered by injuries the last few years, including his current hamstring issue that -- along with their 2-7 record -- made the Saints more amenable to parting with Lattimore.
Lattimore, who has been ruled out Sunday against the Steelers, could first appear in a game for the Commanders on Thursday night against the Eagles. Unlike some veterans who may have an "injury" just before they get dealt, Lattimore's hamstring injury is a legitimate one. And the Commanders spoke with the Saints medical staff to get a clear picture of Lattimore's injury history before agreeing to the trade, sources say.
How did the biggest deal of the Tuesday deadline get done? Leading into the Week 9 Sunday slate, the Chiefs believed they had the best shot at landing Lattimore.
The Chiefs had already dealt a conditional fifth for DeAndre Hopkins on Oct. 23, as well as a future sixth-round pick a few days later for Josh Uche. But they weren't done in their pursuit of adding ahead of their push for the league's first Super Bowl three-peat.
The Saints weren't going to give Lattimore away, and Kansas City's initial offer of a 2026 third-round pick wasn't going to cut it. An acquiring team would be getting Lattimore on the veteran minimum for the rest of 2024, and the Saints weren't going to wait another year to see their return on Lattimore.
Kansas City knew it was contending with Baltimore, who has needed corner help all season long due to injuries. Eventually the Chiefs upped their offer to a 2025 third-round pick, but they were not going to part with the third-rounder they got from Tennessee as part of the L'Jarius Sneed deal. With the way the Titans' season is going, that could be a top-70 pick come April.
All the while, Washington had done film work on Lattimore. The Commanders saw a player who had given up just eight catches in coverage and allowed a passer rating of 56.3. Their desire for a cornerback was known league-wide, and they were willing to trade 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes Jr. if there were any takers.
When first-year Commanders GM Adam Peters and Saints personnel chief Mickey Loomis spoke, Peters knew they'd need more than a third-round pick to get the deal done. Washington was going to hold on to its third-round pick from Philadelphia because it originally belonged to 2-6 Miami.
The Commanders added a fourth-round pick, and the two teams agreed to swap fifth- and sixth-rounders in 2025 to get the deal done. Once the Chiefs realized the Commanders had emerged as contenders for Lattimore, they figured Washington had more ammunition to get him than they had -- or at least were willing to give up. Kansas City continued making calls to teams about corners but made no deal.
Lattimore played in all but eight games through his first five years in the league. But since 2022 he's struggled with various injuries. He's missed 19 of a possible 43 games since the 2022 season with a 20th out of 44 on the way this weekend, and he'll be 29 years old next season.
Under Loomis, the Saints don't believe in tanking. But New Orleans does need to get cheaper labor, so the acquisition of 2025 draft picks was necessary for the Saints, who are again faced with salary cap questions this offseason.
Lattimore goes from a team with an interim head coach and veteran quarterback on a contract the team needs reworked to a Commanders squad with its first-year head coach Dan Quinn and rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels on one of the best deals in football.
The front-runner for Offensive Rookie of the Year as well as a candidate for the NFL's Most Valuable Player, Daniels is on a four-year contract that will pay him nearly $38 million. His cap hit this year is less than $7 million as the No. 2 overall pick, and next season his $8.5 million cap hit will be about 3% of Washington's entire salary cap.
Lattimore has two more years remaining on his contract with cap hits of $18 million in 2025 and $18.5 million in 2026. Washington currently sits with more than $100 million in cap space for 2025, so the Commanders will easily fit Lattimore's non-guaranteed salary under the cap with plenty more to go around.
