Nobody would have thought a defensive lineman would become an MVP of the Rose Bowl after catching a touchdown post-interception. Any guesses? Well, it’s a story that dates a couple of years back when Daron Payne, the now Washington Commanders DT helped Nick Saban coach the Crimson Tide to the semifinal game against Clemson.

Payne’s mother, Kemberly Smith couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “I had to look twice. I was like, ‘Does he got the ball?’” Daron’s mother said as she watched him intercept the ball against Clemson and go for a goal-line touchdown in the 2017 post-season game. Safe to say that his mother has been with him through every step of his life. So, who are Daron Payne’s parents?

Who are Daron Payne’s parents?

Payne was born to Kemberly Smith and Ron Payne on 27 May 1997. We’re a bit shorthanded on information about his parents. But Washington Commanders DTs life experiences reflect much about his parents’ character. Payne’s mother was there to cheer for him most of the time despite battling with “lupus and kidney failure on the daily.” But just like all the great mothers, she did everything she could to watch her son prosper.

When Payne scored a touchdown in the CFP Semifinal of the 2017 season, his mother was still in ‘shock’ and celebrating the interception when he got the touchdown. She had no choice but to go “overboard” with the celebration. That season, Nick Saban’s Roll Tide won the CFP National Championship with Jalen Hurts at quarterback.

Apparently, Daron had been learning to catch balls in practice that year. So, when he told his mother about it, she didn’t take it seriously and thought that no one would throw her son the ball to score a touchdown. But there she was, proven wrong, watching her son finesse the touchdown with a toe-tap follow-through.

His mother admitted later “That [toe tap] didn’t come from me. He got that from his father.” Daron’s father, Ron Payne, was also a football player in high school but took an interest in coaching his son in youth sports as time went on. Daron’s coaches and scouts know that “things didn’t come tremendously easy for him,” and he had to grind to make a name for himself.

Again, his mother was a pillar of support throughout his career and that’s why he surprised her when he got an extension with the Commanders. Of course, that came after becoming the 13 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

The Commanders’ DT knew exactly what to do with his money

Payne completed his rookie contract with the Commanders and his hard work paid off. Quite literally and figuratively. On March 12, 2023, the Commanders signed him to a four-year, $90 million extension. That made him the second-highest-paid interior lineman in the history of the league at the time. He had to do something for his mother for sticking with him all these years.

So, like a good son, he bought a house for his mother and celebrated by uploading a video of her reaction on X. His now-deleted post said, “I promised my ma that I would get her, her dream house one day and yesterday I got the opportunity to check that off my list. I’m grateful for the family god blessed me with and there’s nothing in the world I wouldn’t do for them.”

But that extension wasn’t just for namesakes. He put together a Pro Bowl 2022 campaign after all. On top of that, he tied the franchise record for the most sacks by an interior D-Lineman. But he added one more accolade under his belt that year: Washington Player of the Year and was invited to the gala where he thanked his mother for all her efforts.

“I’m so grateful for her,” Payne said. “Happy Mother’s Day. I love you so much.” If this isn’t an inspiring enough story to work hard in life, we don’t know what is. Shoutout to Daron Payne for achieving so much, though.