One of the quirks of the Washington Commanders roster in 2024 was paying a combined $162 million for a pair of underperforming defensive tackles in former Pro Bowlers Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne.
The Commanders remedied that by letting Allen go in a salary cap move on March 7 and watching him sig a 3-year, $51 million free agent contract with the Minnesota Vikings a few days later.
In one of the more heavily criticized free agent signings of the 2025 cycle, the Commanders waited a full 3 days before delivering a huge payday to another underperforming defensive tackle when they signed Javon Kinlaw to a 3-year, $45 million free agent contract on March 10.
The Athletic’s Ben Standig doesn’t think it’s a structure that can hold together moving forward and predicts if Payne can’t play up to the level of the 4-year, $90 million contract extension he signed in March 2023 he could end up a salary cap casualty like Allen — his former college teammate — following the 2025 season.
“(Payne) earned a 2022 Pro Bowl selection with 11 1/2 sacks, 20 QB hits and 18 tackles for loss,” Standig wrote. “… Over the next two seasons — and after signing a four-year, $90 million extension — Payne compiled eight total sacks, 18 QB hits and 18 tackles for loss. Even if there’s a role/usage excuse following last year’s coaching staff change, the hulking 320-pounder rarely made a distinct presence in games compared to those 2022 highs. Doing so this season would not only help lift a potentially meh line, but also put Payne in a position for another significant contract from Washington or another team entering his age-29 season. Otherwise, he’s an obvious salary-cap cut next offseason and a reason why Washington’s defensive ceiling wouldn’t rise in 2025.”
Payne Hurt When Commanders Needed Him Most
Payne has been one of the NFL’s most durable interior defensive linemen over his career and has started every regular season game since 2020 — 84 consecutive starts — but was missing in the biggest game of his career.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on January 25 that the Commanders would be without Payne for the NFC Championship Game on the road against the Philadelphia Eagles on January 26. It was Washington’s first appearance in the NFC Championship Game since 1991.
“Commanders downgraded DT Daron Payne to out for Sunday’s NFC Championship game due to knee and finger injuries,” Schefter wrote on his official X account.
It was the first game — regular season or playoffs — Payne missed since 2019. The Commanders lost in a rout, 55-23, and the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl.
Newton Could Make Payne, Kinlaw Afterthoughts
The one Wild Card in this entire scenario is second-year defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton, a 2024 second round draft pick (No. 36 overall) who was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year at the University of Illinois in 2023.
Newton, 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds, was projected as a first round pick but dropped to the second round after an unprecedented run on offensive players in 2024. He had an abbreviated offseason following foot surgery but still played in 16 games with 11 starts as a rookie.
In that time he showed flashes of a player who could be dominant one day with 44 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 6 TFL, 7 QB hits, 1 forced fumble and 1 fumble recovery. If Newton improves on those numbers, it makes Payne and Kinlaw both afterthoughts.
