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Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne.
When the Green Bay Packers traded away 2-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kenny Clark in the blockbuster deal that brought them NFL All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons in August 2025, it was a no-brainer to toss Clark in the deal when the Dallas Cowboys asked.
It sucked to lose Clark, sure, but with Parsons in your front 7 it essentially negates whatever else is going on around him, good or bad. He’s that transformative.
When Parsons went down with a torn ACL in Week 14, it was a different story. That’s when the Packers could have used a player like Clark to hold things down. Instead, they lost 4 consecutive games to close out the regular season and were ousted by their rival Chicago Bears in the NFC Wild Card Round.
This offseason, the Packers are being urged to address that inadequacy and have targeted 1 player on the Washington Commanders roster who might do the trick — Pro Bowl defensive tackle Daron Payne.
Commanders Paying Too Much for Interior DL
For some reason the Commanders have felt the need to put a tremendous amount of money into their interior defensive line with little results.
They were paying underperforming, injured defensive tackle Jonathan Allen on a 4-year, $72 million contract and released him after the season only to replace that bad money with more bad money by signing free agent defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw to a 3-yer, $45 million contract.
The Commanders also have Payne on a 4-year, $90 million contract extension he signed before the 2023 season but have watched him do little to nothing to justify that money.
Oh, they also used their first pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL draft (No. 36 overall) on defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton — another underperforming asset.
Trading Payne and getting someone to take him off their hands would be a blessing.
Payne Labeled No. 1 Trade Target for Packers
Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine listed Payne as the No. 1 trade target for the Packers this offseason.
“The Packers probably don’t regret bringing Micah Parsons into town,” Ballentine wrote. “As long as he recovers from his knee injury he’s one of the best defenders in the league. But it’s hard to deny they missed Kenny Clark. Trading for Daron Payne could help that. The Commanders have a logjam of talent on the interior of the defensive line and extending Payne could be difficult. That could open the door for the Packers to get the interior disruptor who could take their defensive front to the next level.”
Commanders Seem Like Sinking Ship in 2026
Whatever is going on with the Commanders on defense, it’s hard not to look at the franchise as a sinking ship following a 5-12 season in 2025 in which they looked lost in every aspect of the game.
It’s made all the more disappointing based on the fact the Commanders went 12-5 in 2024 and made the NFC Championship Game in 2021.
While head coach Dan Quinn fired both offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt after the season, it’s more of an indictment on Quinn’s failings — he took over defensive play calling duties from Whitt late in the season.
It’s also almost a guarantee at this point the Commanders will use the No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft trying to find a defensive star — likely Texas Tech edge rusher David Bailey.
Tony Adame covers the NFL for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys, Baltimore Ravens, Philadelphia Eagles and Denver Broncos. A veteran sports writer and editor since 2004, his work has been featured at Stadium Talk, Yardbarker, NW Florida Daily News and Pensacola News Journal. More about Tony Adame
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