Commander Country

Commanders 'Expected' to Use Franchise Tag on Daron Payne, Per Report

Daron Payne is set to be a free agent this offseason, and the Washington Commanders want to ensure that he's on the defensive line in 2023.

Jeremy Brener

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The Washington Commanders have a big decision to make regarding the franchise tag over the next two weeks, but it appears the team is ready to make its choice, even if it isn't official yet.

According to The Athletic's Ben Standig, the team is "expected" to use the franchise tag on defensive tackle Daron Payne, keeping him with the Commanders without a long-term deal.

Payne is set to hit the open market next month, but the Commanders want to ensure that the sixth-year pro stays in Washington.

Should the Commanders use the franchise tag on Payne, it will cost Washington $19 million. It's a pricy tag, but worth it for a player of Payne's caliber.

Arguably the biggest in-house free agent, Payne enjoyed his best season in the NFL with 11.5 sacks. For comparison, Payne had 14.5 sacks in his first four seasons combined.

"We're working through that process now, obviously Daron is an important part of what we're doing," general manager Martin Mayhew said earlier this offseason. "It'd be difficult to move forward without him, obviously. We have a plan and we definitely wanna get him back.”

The Commanders drafted Phidarian Mathis in the second round of last year's draft to possibly replace Payne when his contract was up. But Mathis was knocked out for the rest of the season after his second defensive snap, resulting in more playing time and production from Payne.

The Commanders last used the franchise tag on offensive lineman Brandon Scherff for 2020 and 2021, but failed to reach a long-term deal to keep him in Washington. Last offseason, Scherff signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The franchise tag should eventually trigger talks of a long-term deal for Payne, but that likely will be pushed back once he is tagged in the coming weeks.

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Jeremy Brener
JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.

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