Commanders McLaurin and Payne Underperforming Financial Metric

The two Washington Commanders stars aren't performing to their contract standards, according to new data.

Dec 17, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) carries the ball against the Los Angeles Rams in the second half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Washington Commanders are entering a new era, and No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels is proving to be the right choice as the team's franchise quarterback. Securing stability under center will allow the team to move forward in building out the rest of the roster.

Surrounding Daniels with stars on both sides of the ball is crucial if the Commanders want to build a squad capable of winning a Super Bowl. Doing so while the LSU product is on his rookie contract is a huge opportunity, too, as Washington can pay stars extra.

The team retained two star talents from previous years while entering a new era, with wide receiver Terry McLaurin and defensive tackle Daron Payne both ready to continue making a strong impact on the franchise.

However, in recently released data, it was revealed that both McLaurin and Payne are two of the players whose contract compared to performance is among the worst in the league. McLaurin is the worst-performing, highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, as his 75.1 PFF grade and his salary-to-performance ratio is $402,345.

The same goes for Payne at the defensive tackle position, as his 61.2 PFF grade gives him a $465,194 salary-to-performance ratio.

These numbers, however, come on limited data of two games played this season. A PFF grade can be misconstrude based on two performances, whereas the two Commanders players have 15 more games to course-correct and even out their numbers to imrove their grades, improving their salary-to-performance ratio naturally.

Fortunately for the Commanders, this statistic doesn't mean much to them. They're not in a salary crunch and they're early in establishing a new era, so something like this quite doesn't matter. McLaurin and Payne are proven players, and Washington has plenty of time to make appropriate moves should their contracts and/or performance become an issue.

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