Daron Payne’s massive deal with Commanders could have a ripple effect in NFC East

The 30-year-old Hargrave has spent the past three seasons with the Eagles but will become a free agent on Wednesday at 4 p.m. EST. 

Last season, Hargrave was integral to the Eagles’ vaunted defensive line, finishing with a career-high 11 sacks. While the Eagles would love to keep Hargrave around, he’s likely priced himself out of Philly, especially after Payne’s deal with Washington. 

According to Aaron Wilson of KRPC2 in Houston, sources expect Hargrave to command up to $22M a season on his next contract. 

Meanwhile, Lawrence enters the 2023 campaign playing on a fifth-year option, which will pay him $12.4M next season. Up for an extension, Lawrence was going to be expensive even before Payne signed his deal. The four-year pro had a career season in 2022, recording 68 tackles and 7.5 sacks in 16 games for the Giants. 

Last Thursday, Giants general manager Joe Schoen addressed Lawrence’s contract situation, telling reporters that the team had begun talking with his representatives about a new deal. 

While Lawrence is likely to stay put in New York, the Giants will probably have to shell out more than they were initially anticipating, which has its own ripple effect. 

Also of note, Lawrence and Payne share the same agent, per Giants’ beat reporter Art Stapleton. Whether or not that makes negotiations easier or more complicated with the market now set is anyone’s guess. 

Payne’s new deal won’t only impact Hargrave and Lawrence but also the other standout defensive linemen in line for a contract, including Jeffrey Simmons, Quinnen Williams, Christian Wilkins, and Chris Jones. 

There’s bound to be plenty of money thrown around at this group of defensive stalwarts, and it should be interesting to see how it all shakes out.