The Green Bay Packers opened the 2026 season with a messy 1-1 record that exposed familiar problems: sloppy execution, costly mistakes, and the lingering absence of All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons. Fixing those issues starts with the players already on the roster playing cleaner football and getting healthier.
That reality has not stopped outside observers from floating bigger ideas.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox recently placed the Packers among the teams that could pursue Washington Commanders defensive tackle Daron Payne.
On his trade-block board heading into Week 3, Knox assigned Payne a value of a 2027 third-round pick.
“If the Commanders decide that it’s not too soon to look ahead to 2027 and beyond, they should strongly consider moving defensive tackle Daron Payne. The 29-year-old is set to be a free agent in the spring, and while he’s arguably Washington’s most important impending free agent, there’s no guarantee he’ll want to return if the Commanders have another wasted campaign,” Knox wrote.
“Payne would likely bring a Day 2 pick in return. He recorded 46 tackles and three sacks last season and has started both games in 2026.”
Payne’s four-year, $90 million deal expires after this season. Last year he added seven tackles for loss, eight quarterback hits and five pass defenses in 15 games.
He made the Pro Bowl in 2022 after a career-high 11.5 sacks, but that season stands apart; he has posted three or four sacks in each of the last three years.
Green Bay’s defense has posted respectable numbers against Carson Wentz and Geno Smith, yet the schedule will grow more demanding.
Interior help would give the Packers a veteran option behind Javon Hargrave, who missed Week 2 with a concussion and faces a short week before Thursday’s game. After that contest, Hargrave would have 10 days to clear protocol.
Washington is 0-2 and lost Jayden Daniels to a dislocated left elbow, the same injury he suffered a year ago.
The Commanders have until the November 10 trade deadline to decide whether Marcus Mariota can keep them competitive or whether Daniels can return in time to salvage the year. If neither happens, moving Payne for draft capital becomes logical.
Similar trade suggestions have circulated for years without a deal materializing.
This season’s early results in both cities give the rumor more oxygen than usual, even if it remains only a pitch for now.
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