Saints add crucial draft capital in Sean Payton trade, reinforcing future

Greg Auman

NFC South Reporter

The New Orleans Saints are back in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.

After months of speculation surrounding a potential return to coaching for former Saints coach Sean Payton, Tuesday brought a trade partner — the Denver Broncos — and a price tag, with New Orleans getting the No. 30 overall pick in this year’s draft and a second-round pick in 2024 in exchange for Payton and a 2024 third-round pick.

The Saints had given up their 2023 first-round selection (which will end up being the 10th overall pick) during last year’s draft, sending it to Philadelphia in a package that allowed them to take receiver Chris Olave with the No. 11 pick. And while Olave had a promising rookie season with a team-best 1,042 receiving yards and four touchdowns, it left New Orleans not picking this year until their second-round pick, No. 40 overall.

In trading Payton, the Saints only lose rights to a coach who had left them a year ago, stepping away after a stellar 15-year run as head coach, going 152-89 (.631 winning percentage) and nine playoff appearances, including a Super Bowl championship in the 2009 season. New Orleans won four straight NFC South titles from 2017-20 under Payton and quarterback Drew Brees, with at least 11 wins each season.

Payton, who has spent this past season as an NFL analyst with FOX Sports, had been the most coveted coach in this hiring cycle, interviewing with the Cardinals, Texans, Broncos and Panthers. The Panthers introduced Frank Reich as their new coach Tuesday, and the Texans are hiring former Houston linebacker and 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans for their opening, leaving just the Colts and Cardinals as the remaining vacancies.

The pick the Saints acquired has changed hands three times. It originally belonged to the 49ers, who sent it to Miami with two other first-rounders to move up and draft Trey Lance in 2021; Miami then dealt the pick to Denver at the trade deadline as part of a package to acquire pass-rusher Bradley Chubb. The Broncos then used the pick as the main asset in the Payton trade.

The Saints enter the offseason about $57 million over the salary cap, which will require restructures and cuts just to get under the cap before the March 15 deadline. Adding a first-round pick allows New Orleans to replace a starter lost as a result of those moves, and at minimal cost — the 30th pick in last year’s draft, Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis, signed a four-year deal worth just under $12 million.

And while the draft’s perceived top tier of quarterbacks — Ohio State‘s C.J. Stroud, Alabama‘s Bryce Young, Kentucky‘s Will Levis and Florida‘s Anthony Richardson — are likely to all be gone by the time the Saints are on the clock, they could pair the 30th pick with this year’s second-rounder (or the 2024 second-rounder acquired from Denver) to move up higher in the first round, should one of them fall lower than expected.

It’s worth noting the 30th selection will actually become the 29th this year. The Dolphins, who were set to pick 21st overall, forfeited the pick after the NFL concluded an investigation into tampering violations.

With many of the NFL’s coaches and scouts gathered in Mobile for the Senior Bowl, the Saints still have a hire to make. They lost defensive line coach Ryan Nielsen last week as the Falcons hired him as their new defensive coordinator. The team also fired tight ends coach and run game coordinator Dan Roushar after the season. Head coach Dennis Allen will be back for 2023 after going 7-10 in his first season in charge.

Greg Auman is FOX Sports’ NFC South reporter, covering the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints. He is in his 10th season covering the Bucs and the NFL full-time, having spent time at the Tampa Bay Times and The Athletic. You can follow him on Twitter at @gregauman.

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