The Washington Commanders informed cornerback Marshon Lattimore that he will be released before the league year begins next week, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter, a move that had been expected since Lattimore suffered a season-ending injury in November.
The new league year begins at 4 p.m. ET on March 11. The Commanders will save $18.5 million in salary cap space; they currently have the fifth-most space available. Washington is expected to be aggressive on the free agent market, particularly at corner, according to league sources.
They have two potential starters under contract: Trey Amos, a starter as a rookie last before breaking his leg in Week 10, and Mike Sainristil, a 2024 second-round pick who has started for the past two seasons.
Lattimore, 29, tore the ACL in his left knee in Week 9 and missed the remainder of the season. He had played in each game to that point.
Washington acquired him from the New Orleans Saints at the trade deadline in 2024, sending three picks (third, fourth and sixth) to the Saints in last year's draft while recouping a fifth-rounder. But he missed a combined eight games that season because of a hamstring injury, including six with the Commanders. He did play in all three of Washington's postseason games.
A first-round pick by New Orleans in 2017, Lattimore made four Pro Bowls in his first five seasons. But since 2021 he's suffered a variety of injuries -- a lacerated kidney and two broken ribs in '22; an ankle injury in '23 and the hamstring issues the following season. He hasn't played in more than 10 games in a season during that span.
Off the field, he was arrested on Jan. 7 in Lakewood, Ohio, and charged with improperly handling a firearm in a vehicle.
