It feels like an entirely different era of New Orleans Saints football all of a sudden. Even though Sean Payton was not with the Saints in 2022, the new life stemming from his being traded to the Denver Broncos in exchange for major draft compensation is a reinvigorating win for the Saints. Here’s why we grade this trade, even though it was not the same return as the coveted Jon Gruden trade between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the then-Oakland Raiders, an A.
While some expected multiple first-round picks to be the cornerstone of a blockbuster deal, that was always an unrealistic expectation. When Gruden was acquired by the Buccaneers, he was still actively serving the role as Raiders head coach. That was not the case with Payton, who stepped away from leading New Orleans after the 2021 season and spent the entirety of 2022 working with FOX Sports. That means Denver did not need to pay a premium to get the Saints to release their former head coach’s rights.
Walking away from this situation, in which the Saints had little to no leverage, with a 2023 first-rounder and a 2024 second deserves praise. Sure, they leveraged a future third-round selection which seems to be standard operating procedure for trades out of New Orleans as of late. But turning that 2024 third into a second and moving an asset that was no longer a part of your future in return for getting back into the first round is the foundation of this move. And that foundation is a solid one.
Grade: A
