Marshon Lattimore's $18.5M Cap Hit Makes Him Prime Cut Candidate

Last year, around this time, the Washington Commanders revealed they were allowing a key veteran to seek a trade before ultimately releasing defensive tackle Jonathan Allen into free agency. This year, history could be repeating itself, but with cornerback Marshon Lattimore.

With a salary cap weight of over $18 million with no guaranteed money remaining, the Commanders can move on from Lattimore without repercussion, and it’s been believed for a while now that reality is a matter of when, not if.

Like Allen, it isn’t likely Washington will find a trade partner to take on the massive cap implications left on his contract, and because of that, he’s being considered a straight-up cut candidate by most, including NFL.com’s Matt Okada.

Oct 19, 2025; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens (3) makes a reception defended by Washington Commanders cornerback Marshon Lattimore (2) during the second quarter of the game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

A clean break from a massive contract

“The Commanders acquired Lattimore in a midseason pick-swap trade in 2024, and he had yet to reclaim his early-career Pro Bowl play through 11 games with the team before tearing his ACL in November. That said, this is less about level of play or injury timeline (or off-field issues) and more about money. Lattimore carries an $18.5 million cap hit in 2026 and all of it becomes savings if the team cuts him this offseason,” Okada writes.

“The Commanders aren't in a bind financially, sitting $74.5 million under the cap (fifth-best in the league), but they took a major step back in 2025 and have a number of questionably valuable veteran contracts, with Lattimore’s being the most expensive and easiest to jettison. Given how poorly the defense played last season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a significant refresh across the roster, and Lattimore would be a rational starting point.”

Questionable value on the defensive line

Though he doesn’t specify, Okada is likely referring to defensive tackles Daron Payne and Javon Kinlaw when mentioning the numerous questionable contracts on the team’s current 2026 roster.

While Washington has plenty of room to spend, the two interior linemen account for more than $44 million against this year’s cap spending, more than 14% of the space available. Add Lattimore to the mix, and those numbers jump to more than $60 million and 20+% of the team’s cap space available. A lot for three starters on one of the league’s worst defenses.

But the interior of the defensive line wasn’t really the problem, or at least wasn’t the biggest one. But the secondary was, and even though Lattimore missed every game after tearing his ACL against the Seattle Seahawks in early November, he still came in second on the team in penalties committed.

The final straw for Lattimore

While the veteran cornerback brings the competitive fire the Commanders want to play with, his lack of ability to do so without committing fouls, the price tag, and the fact that he is indeed coming off a torn ACL as he’s set to turn 30 this May, all makes him too much to expect general manager Adam Peters to keep on the roster in 2025. His recent off-season arrest in Ohio certainly doesn’t help matters.

It also doesn’t help the team find a trade partner, which is why Lattimore appears destined to be cut, boosting the cap space in Washington north of $80 million once the move is announced.

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