While the expectation is he's likely to return, what the Washington Commanders do with Daron Payne could be a major storyline this offseason.
While the exciting part was pondering the possibilities of the Washington Commanders' top trade targets this offseason, the other side of the coin is who the front office could pull the trigger on and move in an offseason trade. There aren't too many candidates though, while general manager Adam Peters has a handful of obvious roster cut candidates ahead of the rest of 2026. But there is debate about one Commanders starter along the defensive line: defensive tackle Daron Payne.
What Washington does with its former 2018 first round selection is now a question mark ahead of his eighth season in the NFL. Payne enters the final year of a four year, $90 million contract that featured just shy of $60 million in guaranteed money, but there's a catch for Washington. With a $28 million cap hit in 2026, Washington has available moves to create additional flexibility ahead of the final year of Payne's contract despite already entering the acquisition phase of the offseason with nearly $70 million in cap space.
But could another route be an option? Bleacher Report pointed to Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne as a top trade target for both the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers this offseason, signaling the need for both teams to bolster the interior depth in 2026. For Green Bay, it'd mark the latest piece on a Packers front seven that added Micah Parsons ahead of the 2025 season to pair with Rashan Gary in the trenches, but maybe the bigger question mark is what the asking price is.
Some have speculated Payne could draw a fourth-round pick from teams, a return that makes little sense for Washington to pounce on, though this isn't the first time Payne has been speculated to be on the move.
Washington also returns a pair of other defensive tackles in Javon Kinlaw and Jer'Zhan Newton, two players who also struggled with consistent production in 2025 but also create the ability for the front office to explore their options this offseason. While Washington reportedly pulled the trigger on its defensive line hire on Wednesday, the expectation prior to the hire of Daronte Jones was that Payne is likely to return in 2026, per Ben Standig, though the front office has time on their side to decide - somewhat.
If Washington releases Payne prior to March 13, they'll be hit with $11.2 million in dead cap and add $16.81 million in cap space. The same figures apply if Washington trades Payne prior to June 1. If Payne is released between March 13 and June 1, Payne will serve as $16.2 million in dead cap and add $11.81 in cap space. After June 1, Payne will serve as $5.6 million in dead cap while adding $22.41 in cap space while a trade results in $10.6 million in dead cap and $17.41 in cap space.
Payne signed a contract extension after tying the franchise records in sacks for a defensive tackle with 12.5 in 2022, appearing in all but one game since debuting in 2018 while drawing 75 career starts. His Pro Bowl honor came after recording at least 54 tackles in each of his first five seasons, along with notching a career-high 20 quarterback hits, 27 quarterback hurries and 49 total pressures. Since then, the results have not been able to match that. Payne has combined for ten sacks and 67 tackles over the last three seasons, while he missed a pair of games in 2025 with one due to a suspension.
Would Payne draw enough substantial interest to field a return that Washington's front office is incentivized to move on? Would Washington pair its top-ten pick with Payne to add a difference maker on defense while being open to moving back in the first round? For now, it appears more likely that Payne is back for at least one more season in Washington than elsewhere, but with a long list of stay-or-go decisions among free agents and what feels like an equally long list of roster holes to address, whether the needle on Payne moves this offseason is worth tracking heading into the rest of a pivotal offseason.