Commanders To Open Contract Talks For WR Terry McLaurin & DT Daron Payne At Combine

Per Ben Standig, Commanders HC Ron Rivera says the team expects to meet with reps for WR Terry McLaurin and DT Daron Payne at the NFL Scouting Combine.

Both players are entering contract years in 2022 and Rivera told Standig, “We have a tremendous amount of interest in making sure these guys are with us going forward.”

With the vast majority of the league all in one place for a week, the NFL Scouting Combine tends to be where a lot of business gets done. Washington should get a sense of what McLaurin or Payne are looking for and can budget accordingly, with talks then potentially picking up during the summer or before the season. 

McLaurin, 26, was selected with the No. 76 overall pick in the third round out of Ohio State by Washington in 2019. He entering the final year of a four-year, $3,962,594 contract.

In 2021, McLaurin appeared in all 17 games for Washington and caught 77 of 130 targets for 1,053 yards and five touchdowns. 

Payne, 24, is the former 13th-overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft from the University of Alabama. He signed a four-year $14.418 million dollar rookie contract with Washington that included an $8.566 million dollar signing bonus.

Washington picked up Payne’s fifth-year option worth $8.5 million fully guaranteed for the 2022 season. 

In 2021, Payne appeared in all 17 games for Washington and recorded 61 total tackles, six tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks and one fumble recovery. Pro Football Focus had him rated as the No. 39 interior defender out of 110 qualifying players. 

We’ll have more on contract talks for McLaurin and Payne as the news is available.