Four years and $90 million for Daron Payne.
The Commanders made a big decision Sunday in finalizing the deal for the defensive tackle from Alabama, drafted 13th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft.
This means the Commanders have chosen to go with both Payne and Jonathan Allen from the inside. Yet, there are two sides to each coin. Thus, it also means the Commanders will most likely not be re-signing both Montez Sweat and Chase Young, who play on the outside.
This contract means Payne will be averaging $22.5 million per year. The Commanders have determined to average over $80 Million in their starting defensive tackles. They won’t be able to do this with Sweat and Young.
If these reported terms ($90 million over four years with $60 million guaranteed) are indeed correct, Payne vaults up the ladder of the higher-paid NFL defensive tackles, second only to the LA Rams’ Aaron Donald. Donald’s contract average per year salary is $31,666,667.
Payne, being franchise-tagged last week, was scheduled to make $18,937,000 for the 2023 season. This contract means his average salary pushes him ahead of the Chiefs’ Chris Jones ($20,000,000), the Colts’ DeForest Buckner ($21,000,000), and the Giants’ Leonard Williams ($21,000,000).
