Veteran defensive tackle Jonathan Allen has been granted permission to seek a trade by the Washington Commanders. This is huge news, as it means the team will likely be parting ways with one of its longest-tenured players.
It also brings attention to the Commanders' other starting defensive tackle. Someone who has played with Allen throughout his seven-year NFL career and two seasons in college before that.
Ever since Daron Payne was selected by Washington with the No. 13 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, he and Allen have been an item. They both play the same position. They both came from the University of Alabama. They were both first-round picks in back-to-back years.
With Allen missing all but five games of his rookie season due to injury, they both got their feet wet in the NFL at the same time.
Commanders need more from Daron Payne when Jonathan Allen departs
They both developed into highly valuable contributors, turning Washington's defensive line into one of the team's biggest strengths for several years. They both made Pro Bowls — Allen in 2021 and 2022, where he was joined by Payne on the latter occasion. They were never game-changing superstars, but they were in the higher echelons of interior forces around the league.
Payne and Allen also experienced major drop-offs in performance during the 2024 season. The Commanders were successful as a team, going 12-5 and reaching the NFC Championship game. But their production in the defensive trenches didn't match the investment.
Allen's decline can be partially blamed on a pectoral injury that cost him about half of the campaign. Payne played in all 17 regular-season games yet struggled to make an impact. He recorded a career-low 42 tackles in what was his first of a four-year, $90 million extension worth $59.01 million guaranteed.
If Payne is not additionally shopped by Washington, which seems highly unlikely, he's going to be under more pressure to perform in 2025 than arguably any other player on the Commanders' roster. Allen's pending departure lays down the gauntlet to the team's biggest salary-cap hit in 2025.
He's still only 27 years old and doesn't have much of an injury history. There's no reason why Payne shouldn't be able to bounce back. Perhaps a second year under Washington's new coaching staff could benefit him.
That said, if Payne returns to form, he'll more than likely have to do it without his long-time running mate.
Payne and Allen have been on the same team for nine out of the last 10 seasons, going back to their first year together with the Crimson Tide. Washington fans can only hope that a split can reignite the fire under the 2018 first-round pick.
