Commanders insider reveals Daron Payne’s trade value before deadline

The 2022 trade deadline is less than a week away and teams around the NFL are clamoring for Washington Commanders star Daron Payne. A quick search of Payne’s name on Google and you’ll stumble across multiple team blogs brainstorming trade packages for the ascending former first-round pick.

Even major outlets like CBS and Bleacher Report have Payne getting dealt before the deadline, so the Alabama product is a hot commodity.

The Commanders put themselves in this position by not extending or trading Payne this offseason. Now, they have to choose whether to trade him before Nov. 1 or keep him for the remainder of the season and run the risk of losing him for nothing in the offseason, when he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.

Hitting Payne with the franchise tag is always a possibility, but that’ll be expensive and Washington already has Jonathan Allen slated for a $21.5 million cap hit in 2023 and the projected franchise number for DTs next year is $18.1 million.

Long story short, it would have to take a perfect offer — probably an overpay for Washington to entertain offloading Payne mid-season.

That begs the question of what Payne would go for on the current market. In a recent article, The Athletic’s Ben Standig revealed the all-important info.

Daron Payne’s trade value has been revealed. Will the Commanders trade the star defender?

"“However, those people with knowledge of the Payne market believe a 2023 second-round pick is possible trade compensation,” Standig wrote. “Whether a second or third, that pick would arrive a full year before the 2024 compensatory pick if Payne leaves in free agency . . .”“The Commanders would prefer keeping Payne, but recent extensions for Allen and wide receiver Terry McLaurin and high-priced contracts for Wentz or another veteran quarterback limit salary cap room and flexibility. Defensive ends Montez Sweat and Chase Young, out since suffering a significant injury last November, are poised for extensions over the next two years.”"

As Standig notes, a second-round pick for Payne would be a win-win for the Commanders. Not only would it make offloading a top-five most important player on the roster worthwhile, but it’d allow Washington to offset the conditional third-round pick in 2023 owed to Indianapolis from the Carson Wentz trade.

That pick turns into a second-rounder if Wentz plays 70% of the snaps this season and it’s currently unclear if the quarterback will meet that threshold now that he’s on injured reserve and will miss the next three games. Right or wrong, that variable will be considered in trade conversations surrounding Payne.

In the offseason, the Commanders balked at offering Payne a contract extension, seemingly hinting that they’re prepared to let him test free agency.

Dumping Wentz’s contract this offseason and drafting a quarterback would improve Payne’s chances of re-upping his contract, but all signs point to him testing the market, where he’ll likely command a deal in the $15-18 million range.

That’s another thing Washington must consider before the deadline.

Would a second-round selection be worth losing Payne, who’s been a savant against the run and on pace to set career-highs in sacks, pressures, QB hits and tackles for loss? Or would it make sense to capitalize on his value, which has never been higher, before he (presumably) leaves for nothing in the offseason?

Oh to be a fly on the wall in the Commanders ‘ front office right now.

Could Terry McLaurin’s team-friendly contract hint at Daron Payne extension?

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