Payne was originally drafted by the
Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth round of the
1997 NFL draft. He was selected by the
Houston Texans in the
2002 expansion draft. He was selected along with Jaguar teammates
Tony Boselli and
Gary Walker. The move allowed the Jaguars to be under the
salary cap. The move was surprising considering the Texans and Jaguars were in the same division. On February 28, 2007, the Texans released him. He was signed by the Jaguars on August 18, re-joining the team with which he began his career. ==NFL career statistics==