Commanders GM discusses possibility of re-signing Daron Payne

It sounds like the Commanders want to re-sign defensive lineman Daron Payne. General manager Martin Mayhew didn’t mince words when discussing the impending free agent.

“Daron is an important part of what we’re doing,” Mayhew said, via ESPN’s John Keim. “Great year this year. 11.5 sacks, the guy played outstanding football this year. He’s always been disruptive. He’s always been in the back field, he’s always been around the ball … [H]e played outstanding football for us. It’d be difficult to move forward without him, obviously. We have a plan, and we definitively want to get him back.”

After being selected in the first round of the 2018 draft, Payne has spent his entire career in Washington. The defensive tackle had 14.5 sacks through his first four seasons in the NFL before breaking out in 2022, finishing with career highs in tackles (64), sacks (11.5), tackles for loss (18), and QB hits (20). Pro Football Focus wasn’t as fond of his performance, ranking him only 72nd among 126 interior defenders, but they did rank him top-25 at the position for pass rushing.

Following his breakout campaign, Payne will surely command a lucrative contract in free agency. The Commanders still have two months of exclusive negotiations, and they could always consider slapping the defensive lineman with the franchise tag (which should be valued at more than $18M).