Da’Ron Payne, Commanders agree to four-year, $90 million deal

Da’Ron Payne, Commanders agree to four-year, $90 million deal

Nearly two weeks after he was franchise-tagged, it looks like defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne will be with the Washington Commanders for the foreseeable future.

The Washington Commanders and Payne agreed to a four-year, $90 million deal with $60 million guaranteed, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport first reported Sunday. Payne becomes the second-highest paid defensive tackle in NFL History behind Aaron Donald, who inked a two-year, $60 million extension with the Rams last offseason.

Payne, who tallied career highs in sacks (11.5) and tackles-for-loss (18), received the non-exclusive franchise tag on Feb. 28, which approximated to about $18.94 million for defensive lineman. He was the first player to receive the franchise tag this offseason, with Washington having until July 17 to reach a long-term deal with the 25-year-old. With Payne’s new deal, his average annual value bumps to $22.5 million per season.

The full details of his year-to-year salary have yet to be disclosed.

Over the first five years of his career, Payne’s just missed one game, recording 291 tackles, including 40 for loss. He’s totaled 26 sacks, forced four fumbles with 14 pass deflections. Due to his career year in 2022, Payne made his first Pro Bowl in 2022, finishing the year with 64 tackles, the seventh-most on the team.

The former No. 13 overall selection will now be a mainstay alongside Washington’s defensive front-seven, which includes Jamin Davis, Jonathan Allen and Chase Young, who missed all but three games of the 2022 season due to injury. The Commanders were top-10 in defensive DVOA with the 13th-most effective pass rush and the 8th-best rushing defense, per Football Outsiders.

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