The New Orleans Saints opted to trade star cornerback Marshon Lattimore to the Washington Commanders last season, landing a slew of NFL Draft selections in exchange for the star defender.
Lattimore only appeared in two games with the Commanders after the trade, but he made four Pro Bowls and won a Defensive Rookie of the Year Award in the previous eight seasons with the Saints. Lattimore has separated himself as one of the more consistent defensive backs in football.
Rohan Chakravarthi of SB Nation recently projected Lattimore would sign a two-year, $36.5 million contract extension with the Commanders.
"If Lattimore were to get a new contract, he’d likely get his current deal reworked to include guaranteed money. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise if much of the money remained the same, with him currently making $36.5 million over the next two years," Chakravarthi wrote. "When looking to keep players as cornerstone pieces, the Commanders have restructured deals to include guaranteed money, like they did with Deebo Samuel this offseason. That could be the case with Lattimore, which could also open some flexibility from the team side.
"So, keeping the two-year deal structure makes sense, while Lattimore could see a year getting guaranteed, and the Commanders would likely convert some of his base salary into a signing bonus. Adding a non-guaranteed third year on the back end could align it with the Ward, Davis, and Reed deals."
This contract projection includes a very crucial detail: $22 million guaranteed.
The guaranteed money is the only big difference between the contract Lattimore has now and this extension. With the veteran getting a bit older, adding some guaranteed money to his deal would protect the player a bit and keep him happy.
It would be hard for Saints fans to not be happy for Lattimore after all he gave New Orleans in his time with the team.
