The window opens Tuesday [Feb. 21] for NFL teams to apply the franchise or transition tags to players set to become unrestricted free agents next month.
The Washington Commanders have a prime candidate for the franchise tag in defensive tackle Daron Payne. Payne, 25, enjoyed a breakout year in his fifth NFL season in 2022, recording 11.5 sacks and 18 tackles for loss. The 11.5 sacks tied the legendary Dave Butz for the team record for an interior defensive lineman, and his 18 TFLs were fifth in the league.
Now, Washington has a dilemma: Pay Payne or let him walk.
Well, they have the franchise tag option, but it hasn’t always been a good option for Washington. The team placed consecutive franchise tags on Kirk Cousins in 2016 and 2017, only to see him walk as an unrestricted free agent in 2018. Washington received only a third-round compensatory pick for Cousins. The same scenario followed with guard Brandon Scherff in 2020 and 2021. Generally, once a player hits the franchise tag in Washington, they are as good as gone.
Could that change with Payne?
The Commanders could have opened negotiations with Payne last offseason but opted against it, apparently content to see him play out his rookie contract and hit free agency. Everything changed with his breakout season. In his first four seasons, Payne was solid, if somewhat inconsistent. However, in 2022, he took his game to another level. Should that be a cause for concern for the Commanders?
In this case, no, it should not. No one knows Payne like Washington. He never misses game, and the effort has never really been questioned. He is a competitive player who, along with Jonathan Allen, makes up the best defensive tackle duo in the NFL.
But how much are you willing to commit to one position? Washington gave Allen a four-year, $72 million extension in the summer of 2021. Allen is considered by many to be the better overall player.
There is also the upcoming free agency of defensive ends Chase Young and Montez Sweat. The Commanders will likely pay at least one of the two.
It’s doubtful that Washington will allow Payne to hit free agency. If the Commanders apply the franchise tag and can’t agree to a long-term deal, then they could consider trading Payne for more than they’d receive next offseason, which would only be a third-round compensatory pick.
One of the franchise’s biggest mistakes with Cousins was not trading him ahead of the 2017 season when the San Francisco 49ers were willing to pay a premium price for him. Washington, of course, wouldn’t trade with the 49ers out of stubbornness because owner Dan Snyder didn’t want to trade Cousins to Kyle Shanahan.