Daron

Payne

Payne came into the weekend listed as questionable but will ultimately miss the team’s NFC Championship game against the Eagles. The Commanders have struggled mightily against the run and will now be without one of their top run defenders on the interior of their defensive line. That could spell trouble against Saquon Barkley and Jalen Hurts after the two ran wild in both of these teams’ previous meetings this season.

Linebacker Bobby Wagner was removed from the report and will play. Payne did not practice at all this week, putting him on the wrong side of questionable heading into the weekend. However, with a Super Bowl berth on the line, he will be doing everything in his power to get on the field. Payne has four sacks and five TFLs this year.

Payne suffered his finger injury in the team’s wild card win over the Buccaneers. He was limited in two of three practices last week but appears to have picked up a knee injury in the divisional round win over the Lions. Back-to-back DNPs to open the week is a concerning sign for Payne’s availability, but the team could be exercising caution for their star tackle. We’ll see where things stand come Friday when the Commanders release their final injury report before the weekend.

This is a big blow for the Commanders. The 320-pound defensive tackle has 42 tackles, four sacks, and five tackles for a loss on the season while soaking up attention from blockers in the middle of the defensive line. Payne injured his finger early in the second quarter of the game and seemed to be in immense pain on the sideline. It would be a huge boost for the Tampa Bay running game if Payne can’t come back in.

Reportedly Payne will walk away with $60 million in guarantees. He was franchise-tagged before the deadline in February, and the Commanders and Payne have created a deal that will likely be the framework for Quinnen Williams and Jeffrey Simmons among other major interior linemen. Payne made his first Pro Bowl in 2022 and had 11.5 sacks for the Commanders.

It was widely expected that Washington would hang on to Payne -- a 2018 first round draft pick -- with the franchise tag. Payne, 25, posted career-best numbers in 2022 as an interior force for a Commanders defensive line graded by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s 21st best run-defending unit. Payne in 2022 had 11.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss en route to his first career Pro Bowl nod.

A first-round pick in 2018, Payne had been a solid defensive tackle since being drafted, but the Commanders did not reach an agreement on an extension. Instead, they let him play out his fifth-year option only for the 25-year-old to post career numbers across the board. He tallied 11.5 sacks and 18 TFLs en route to his first Pro Bowl nod. The franchise tag for Payne will cost Washington $18.9 million.

The Commanders didn’t extend Payne last offseason, letting Payne play out his fifth-year option while drafting DL Phildarian Mathis in the second round. That backfired for Washington, with Payne posting career highs in sacks (11.5) and TFLs (18). Extending Payne at an expected $20 million per year, with DT Jonathan Allen set to count $21 million against the cap, would have Washington at over $40 million for its two starting tackles if they re-sign Payne. Franchising Payne would cost the Commanders $18 million.

Payne is due an $8.5 million salary in the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, but the Commanders haven’t prioritized him for an extension. Other teams have approached the Commanders about Payne and might be willing to offer “significant cost in trade compensation and salary on a new deal.” A deal that could be worth $17-$18 million annually for Payne. The Commanders drafted Phildarian Mathis in the second round of this year’s draft and Payne could be a trade target to monitor in training camp or in-season if Mathis looks ready early.

Payne was absent for a few days but is clearly vaccinated since he’ll return to the field merely four days later. He tallied three sacks and 54 total tackles last year.