At the end of February, Commanders GM Adam Peters expressed high hopes for defensive tackle Daron Payne in 2026, the last year of his current deal (via JP Finlay of NBC Sports Washington). Those remarks suggested Washington would not seek to move on from Payne despite his $27.95MM cap charge, though Peters also said the team would not explore a new contract for Payne until after the ’26 season.
Payne’s cap number – which also could have been reduced with an extension – has not prevented the Commanders from being very busy in free agency. The club has been especially active along the defensive front, adding Odafe Oweh, K’Lavon Chaisson, Tim Settle, and Charles Omenihu and re-signing Deatrich Wise, Shy Tuttle, and Drake Jackson.
Of that group, only Oweh and Settle landed multiyear accords, so if Payne performs well in 2026, there should be no financial obstacle to a re-up. It does make sense for the team to wait and see if Payne’s platform campaign can yield an uptick in performance, as the soon-to-be 29-year-old has been unable to approach the career-best 11.5 sacks he posted in 2022 (his lone Pro Bowl season), and he has never drawn particularly strong grades from Pro Football Focus.
On the other hand, the Commanders are reportedly more bullish on Payne’s performance than PFF, and his presence, combined with the new additions, could make the club’s D-line a real strength in the upcoming season. Even after his FA expenditures, there has been no public indication that Peters has changed his mind on allowing Payne to play out the last year of the contract designed by the Ron Rivera/Martin Mayhew regime.
We also have a few notes to pass along on some of the above-referenced deals:
- K’Lavon Chaisson, DE. Originally reported as a one-year, $12MM deal, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson reports Chaisson can earn $11MM on his pact. Of that figure, $10.3MM ($7MM signing bonus, $3.3MM base salary) is fully guaranteed.
- Charles Omenihu, DE. One year, $4MM. $7MM max value. The deal includes $3.3MM in full guarantees, including $2.3MM in base salary and a $1MM signing bonus, per Wilson. Omenihu can earn $30K per game in active roster bonuses and $190K in workout bonuses.
- Tim Settle, DT. Reported as a three-year, $24MM deal with a max value of $25.5MM. The exact base figure, as Wilson reports, is $23.49MM. That includes $7.3MM in full guarantees, which is mostly comprised of a $6MM signing bonus. Settle also secured $4.7MM in injury guarantees and is due to earn salaries of $1.3MM, $7.1MM, and $6.2MM over the life of the contract.
- Deatrich Wise, DE. One year. The deal is worth $1.45MM and includes a $1.3MM salary and $75K signing bonus, according to Wilson. Wise will carry a $1.45MM cap charge.