The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-5 heading into a crucial game against the Atlanta Falcons and somehow they’ve become buyers, in a sense, when it comes to one particular trade candidate.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Matt Bowen teamed up to release their top-25 trade candidates on Wednesday and the Buccaneers are linked to Pro Bowl defensive tackle Daron Payne. Fowler’s intel suggest Payne could be moved at some point in the next few weeks and Bowen’s analysis identified the Buccaneers as a trade fit:

“Washington dealt key defensive pieces at the deadline three years ago and could be faced with a similar predicament this time with Payne, who’s 29 and still has value. Payne is a 2027 free agent with a $16.4 million base this year. But the NFC East is also winnable, despite Washington’s 1-4-1 record, so that could be a point in favor of the Commanders keeping him. Jacksonville is a potential fit, with some in the league noting the Jaguars could use a versatile interior player with pass-rush ability and have looked for that since the offseason.” – Jeremy Fowler, ESPN

The Buccaneers need to avoid a Daron Payne trade like the plague

It’s simple: Payne hasn’t played anywhere near the standard he set with 11.5 sacks back in 2022 and he’s expensive depsite already cashing in seven game checks.

Payne is struggling with his role at every level. His pass rush has been lacking this season in both numbers and visible line integrity. Some defensive tackles don’t get a lot of sacks, but collapse the interior of the pocket allowing others to take down the quarterback. Payne is doing neither right now. His 11.5 sack season in 2022 is a reminder he can get home in the right scheme, but he isn’t a one man army. 1 sack, 2 TFL, & 14 total tackles through six games is an indicator of how Washington has limited him.

Washington should look to move Payne at the deadline. Whether it’s the Daronte Jones scheme or Payne not having another solid rush-mate, his $21 million price tag is not looking like a good deal anymore. There are a lot of big bodies who can just take up gaps for much less money.

The Buccaneers would still owe Payne around $10.4 million in cash if they were to trade for him. He’d immediately become the second-highest paid defensive lineman on a d-line that has already established its top-3 guys. Those guys – Calijah Kancey, Vita Vea, and A’Shawn Robinson, have really found some momentum over the last few weeks, too.

So, the Bucs would be paying an underperforming player a lot of money to be, what, a rotational guy? And they’d have to give up some form of draft capital in order to acquire him in the first place?

NFL discussions are typically nuanced and require all kinds of context to get points across, but this one is easy. The mechanics behind the Buccaneers making a trade for Daron Payne simply make no sense and it would be an awful decision if Jason Licht were to pull the trigger.