Saints stand to cash in on Broncos’ Sean Payton trade

Sean Payton finds himself in a situation he never anticipated. The former head coach of the New Orleans Saints is struggling with a historically poor defense in his first season with the Denver Broncos, resulting in four losses out of five games. As a consequence, the Saints are poised to benefit from trading Payton to the Broncos in exchange for a package of draft picks, including their 2024 second-round pick.

The experts at Tankathon currently project that this particular selection will fall at No. 34 overall. Although things could change if Payton manages to turn things around and the Broncos go on a winning streak in Denver, the likelihood of a seven- or eight-game winning streak seems slim. Therefore, it appears increasingly certain that the Saints will receive a top-40 pick from the Broncos as a result of this trade.

However, one must question whether the Saints accepted the best offer or if there was ever an alternative on the table. ESPN’s Adam Schefter hinted at the existence of an alternate trade offer in a now-deleted report on social media shortly after Payton’s trade was finalized earlier this year. It is unclear whether Schefter deleted the report due to inaccurate information or to protect his sources, but he claimed that the Broncos presented the Saints with the option of taking their 2024 first-round pick in exchange for a fourth-round pick in 2023 (estimated to be the 108th overall pick).

This offer is highly tempting, especially considering that the Broncos are currently positioned at No. 3 overall in the draft. This position would provide the Saints with the opportunity to acquire one of the draft’s top prospects and potentially target a young quarterback who could eventually replace Derek Carr once his contract becomes manageable. Unfortunately, this offer was never realized.

Instead, the Saints received the Broncos’ first-round pick in 2023 (29th overall, which turned out to be Bryan Bresee) and their second-round pick in 2024. However, this came at the cost of New Orleans’ own third-round pick in 2024, which is projected to be the 82nd overall pick. In a way, one could view this trade as the Saints jumping 48 spots to the top of the second round from the middle of the third round.

Having the opportunity to add another highly-rated prospect is crucial for the Saints (assuming the current standings hold). They need to make successful early-round selections in order to replenish their depth chart and groom young players to replace aging stars like Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, and Tyrann Mathieu. Therefore, it makes sense for them to acquire multiple picks in the first and second rounds.

However, it is hard not to wonder about the possibilities that could have come with the third overall pick. Perhaps another team could have offered enough assets to convince Saints executive Mickey Loomis to trade down from that spot for the first time in about 16 years. Oh well, maybe Schefter was mistaken and that pick was never actually on the table. What is certain is that no one, including Payton, Loomis, Broncos ownership, or fans of either team, expected Payton’s Denver tenure to start off so poorly. If Loomis had foreseen the 2024 first-round pick being a top-five selection, there is no doubt he would have taken it. We will have to wait and see where it ultimately ends up at the end of the season.