Payten had played just 2 reserve grade games for the Raiders when he made his first grade debut with the club in 1996 as a 17-year-old. Over the next few years he gradually made more appearances for the Raiders, initially playing from the bench, until he cemented a position as starting prop in 2000. He was a member of the Raiders team that played semi final football in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2002.
Sydney Roosters
Released from the final two years of his contract with the Raiders, Payten signed with the Sydney Roosters. Having won the 2002 NRL Premiership, the Roosters traveled to England to play the 2003 World Club Challenge against Super League champions, St Helens R.F.C.. Payten played from the interchange bench and scored a try in the Roosters' victory.
Wests Tigers
After being released by the Roosters, Payten joined the Wests Tigers in 2004, which meant he was being paid by three clubs. Coach Tim Sheens said of the signing, "We had players like Johnny Skandalis who could take the ball up but what we were looking for was someone with a little bit of nous around his game." Payten was a member of the Wests Tigers side which won the 2005 NRL Grand Final, scoring a try in the final minute of the game. In 2010, Payten was named in the Australian train-on squad for the Four Nations. During that year's semi-finals, Payten suffered an injury to his ankle when he stepped on a tennis ball. He took no further part in the season, and missed games at the start of 2011 with knee and ankle problems. In an effort to return to full fitness, Payten underwent experimental stem-cell therapy, saying, "At the moment I'm retiring unless this works dramatically.". In early June, 2011, prior to the week 13 clash against the Newcastle Knights, Payten announced that it would be his last season, after being one of an elite few players to have amassed over 250 games in the NRL. Payten said, "This isn't the way I wanted it to finish. If I'm really honest with myself, I'd be hard-pressed to continue on the way it's going at the moment. I can't." Already a certificate-2 level coach, Payten said he intended to pursue coaching in the future. Payten made a few more appearances off the bench towards the end of the season, but was unable to participate in the semis due to another injury.
Premierships:2005 - a member of the premiership winning Wests Tigers team which defeated North Queensland Cowboys, 30-16, and scoring one try in the final minutes.
Coaching career
Shortly after his retirement in 2011, Payten was announced as the head coach of the Wests Tigers' NYC team for 2012. In his first season as coach, the Tigers finished 4th in the regular season. They went on to win all their post-season games, including beating pre-game favourite Canberra Raiders 46-6 in the grand final. He coached the side again 2013, before moving into an assistant coaches role with the Tigers' NRL side in 2014. In 2013, Payten made his representative coaching debut, as his New South Wales Under-18 team defeated Queensland 56-6. He coached the side again in 2014, with New South Wales winning 24-10. In October 2014, Payten joined the North Queensland Cowboys as their NYC head coach for the 2015 season and assistant to head coach Paul Green's NRL side. On 4 October 2015, Payten was a member of the Cowboys' coaching staff in the side's 17-16 Grand Final victory over the Brisbane Broncos. On 8 August 2018, Payten signed with the New Zealand Warriors as an assistant coach for the 2019 season, replacing his former Raiders' teammate Andrew McFadden. On 20 June 2020, Payten was appointed caretaker head coach of the New Zealand Warriors following the sacking of Stephen Kearney.
