Washington went all-in on their defensive line in late 2010s, taking one in the first round of four consecutive NFL drafts.
Jonathan Allen came in 2017. Daron Payne was taken in 2018, with Montez Sweat in 2019 and Chase Young in 2020.
Payne’s the only one left.
Young was traded to San Francisco. Sweat was dealt to Chicago before getting paid. Allen spent eight seasons in Washington and got one big-time contract extension but ended up getting released after a trade request didn’t pan out. He was in Minnesota
for the 2025 campaign and will play for Cincinnati in 2026.
Payne signed a four-year, $90-million contract back in 2023, and it’s set to expire at season’s end.
Are the Commanders going to keep Payne in Washington beyond this season? That question was posed to Payne by on-site reporter after Tuesday’s OTA season.
Has the team engaged in contract talks about a possible extension?
“Not that I know of,” Payne said.
He was also asked if he’d like to get an extension before training camp ends, and the veteran sidestepped it.
“I’m just playing football,” Payne said. “I’m hopeful for my next day to wake and do what I love.”
Payne has been good at his job for some time now. He was at his best from 2021-23, when he had 22 sacks, 36 tackles for a loss and two Pro Bowl selections. Will Washington re-up with Payne? Time will tell on that front.
He’ll have a chance to put his best foot forward in Daronte Jones attacking defensive scheme, while playing with the most talented collection defensive linemen he has worked with in some time.
The Commanders overhauled their defensive front this offseason, bringing in Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Tim Settle – that’s a sneaky, underrated signing – and Charles Omenihu.
“With the little time I’ve spent with them, you can tell they brought in a bunch of competitors that I work with on the D-line,” Payne said. “The outside linebackers like to compete and get after it, so it’s gonna be fun.”
Payne has looked good in the early going of OTAs, which you can catch a glimpse of here:
Economics, market value and obviously performance will play a role in Payne’s future with Washington. He’s currently focused on helping the 2026 Commanders compete.
“My job is to be one of the 11 and do what I’m supposed to do,” Payne said, “execute the scheme and work as hard as I can. “
