So here’s what we know: three different NFL teams have been granted interviews with former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, suggesting that the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, and Houston Texans each have an understanding of what it would take to trade for Payton’s contract now that he’s looking for work again.
And that’s sent Saints fans into a spiral, daydreaming about which draft picks their team might get back — could the second and third overall picks in the 2023 draft be in play, giving New Orleans a shot at premium quarterback prospects like C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young? Don’t bet on it. But crazier things have happened.
Still, it’s important to get an idea of where each of those suitors stands. Remember, players can’t be involved in coach trades. Only draft picks and cash can be exchanged. And because the draft order has not been fully finalized until compensatory picks have been awarded, we only know the exact slots for the top three rounds. Let’s recap the selections available to the Texans, Cardinals, and Broncos right now:
Houston Texans
2023 NFL draft
- Round 1, Pick 2
- Round 1, Pick 12 (via Cleveland Browns)
- Round 2, Pick 34
- Round 3, Pick 66
- Round 3, Pick 74 (via Cleveland Browns)
- Round 4
- Round 5
- Round 6 (via New Orleans Saints)
- Round 7 (via Seattle Seahawks)
2024 NFL draft
- Round 1
- Round 1 (via Cleveland Browns)
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Round 4
- Round 4 (via Cleveland Browns)
- Round 5
- Round 7 (via New Orleans Saints)
2025 NFL draft
- Round 1
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Round 4
- Round 5
- Round 6
- Round 7
Arizona Cardinals
2023 NFL draft
- Round 1, Pick 3
- Round 2, Pick 35
- Round 3, Pick 67
- Round 4
- Round 6
2024 NFL draft
- Round 1
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Round 4
- Round 5
- Round 7
2025 NFL draft
- Round 1
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Round 4
- Round 5
- Round 6
Denver Broncos
2023 NFL draft
- Round 1, Pick 29 (via San Francisco 49ers; exact slot TBD)
- Round 3, Pick 68 (via Indianapolis Colts)
- Round 3, Pick 69
- Round 4
- Round 5
- Round 6 (via Pittsburgh Steelers)
- Round 7 (via Minnesota Vikings)
2024 NFL draft
- Round 1
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Round 4 (via Miami Dolphins)
- Round 5 (via New York Jets)
- Round 7
- Round 7 (via Los Angeles Rams)
2025 NFL draft
- Round 1
- Round 2
- Round 3
- Round 4
- Round 6
- Round 7
