The Commanders Have Made A Decision On A Key Player

(Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

As expected, the Washington Commanders didn’t waste another second and placed the franchise tag on star DT Daron Payne, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Washington DT Daron Payne became the first player this off-season to receive the franchise tag, per sources. The franchise tag for Payne is projected to be $18.937 million. Washington placed the tag on Payne early this morning. pic.twitter.com/cmbeaRciig

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) February 28, 2023

Payne — who would’ve been heavily pursued otherwise — is now the first player to receive the tag in the offseason, but he most definitely won’t be the only big name to get it.

Should Payne want to play under these circumstances, he’d pocket nearly $19 million — $18.937, more specifically.

However, this is a non-exclusive tag, so he’s still free to talk to other teams in case he doesn’t reach an agreement on a long-term extension with the Commanders.

Notably, both parties can still agree to terms on a new deal before July 17.

If not, they’d have to wait until next offseason before picking up contract talks.

Daron Payne is one of the budding defensive stars in the league, breaking out for a career-best campaign with 11.5 sacks, trailing only Chris Jones and Quinnen Williams.

Side by side with Jonathan Allen, they put together one of the deadliest, most dominant interior linemen duos in the league, and they figure to keep wreaking havoc together for years to come.

However, the team has already inked most of Ron Rivera’s key defensive guys with long terms deas, which could prove to be an issue if they intend to sign Payne to a long-term contract and also keep former first-round pick Chase Young around.

We’ll have to wait and see, but this team might have to make an unpleasant decision and give up on one of their defensive stars.

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