Washington Commanders get Daron Payne signed to legendary deal

Superstar defensive tackle Daron Payne agrees to a four-year deal with the Washington Commanders.

On Sunday, the Washington Commanders and superstar defensive tackle Daron Payne agreed to a new contract. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN on Twitter, the deal is worth $90 million over four years.

This deal makes Daron Payne the second-highest-paid defensive tackle in the history of the NFL, behind only Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams.

It’s hard to argue with the contract, either. Payne is going to be 26 for the 2023 season. He’s been one of the more dominant defensive linemen in the NFL over the last few seasons and easily had the best year of his career in 2022.

Payne has always been an incredible run-stopper. While he was a solid pass disrupter, his career-high in sacks was nothing super impressive, sitting at five. Last season, he shattered that number with 11.5 sacks, proving Payne to be an all-around talent that can anchor a defensive line.

That’s what’s so great about the Washington Commanders, though. Daron Payne isn’t doing it alone, either. He’s paired with Jonathan Allen to create one of the best interior defensive line duos of all time. Then you throw Montez Sweat and Chase Young on the edges to terrorize offensive lines.

The Washington Commanders needed to make this move. Some fans may feel like they are spending too much money on their defensive line now. That’s a fair criticism in some aspects, but you can’t be letting elite talent slip through your fingers. Mistakes like that aren’t moves made by winning franchises. If the Commanders want to be taken seriously, they need to pay their stars.

This is a step in the right direction for the Washington Commanders. They now have Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen locked up for the foreseeable future. Two stars that anchor your defensive line are locked in, now build around them.