3 takeaways from Ron Rivera’s revealing interview with The Athletic

2. Team eager to extend McLaurin and Payne

According to Standig, Rivera said no deals for Terry McLaurin and Daron Payne were “imminent.” However, the third-year head coach expects negotiations with their agencies to commence at next week’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis.

The McLaurin nugget isn’t exactly news. It’s been evident for a while that Rivera and the front office want the star receiver locked up for the long haul. Even with a mid-tier talent quarterbacking the offense, McLaurin could post 100-plus catches, 1,300 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns every year.

Looking at the current receiver market, McLaurin could stand to receiver anywhere between $16-18 million annually, but Washington better get a move on before the likes of Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf and AJ Brown, other standouts from the stacked 2019 draft class, ink extensions with their current teams.

The big kicker here, though, is Payne, a player many Commanders fans have been quick to include in trade packages for a star quarterback.

"“We have a tremendous amount of interest in making sure these guys are with us going forward,” Rivera told The Athletic. “I think the biggest thing more than anything else is that the process is not near close to being completed. You’d love to have is clarity as soon as possible, but you just won’t because of the nature of the game. This could drag on right up into the draft, or it could happen before the draft.”"

It’s unclear what kind of contract Payne is looking for, but the idea of pairing him and Jonathan Allen along the interior of the defensive line for the foreseeable future is a concept that should resonate with the entire fan base.

Only question is what this means for Montez Sweat.