In New Orleans wide receivers grow on trees.

Cornerbacks on the other hand die on the vine.

If Malcolm Butler is half as good in Nola as he was in NE we have a franchise CB

Scott F

"it doesn't, because that's not how it works. Look at Lee's post.
We get a deal with him in principle, and then call NE and work the trade (That second part is probably already done). He signs the 3.9 tender with them, gets traded to us, and then signs his new deal.
Zero percent chance we are giving up #11 for him in any scenario"


Once again, what makes you think the Patriots are going to trade him on OUR terms? What I'm talking about is if the Saints sign him to an offer sheet, and the Patriots don't match. That would, in fact, mean that they automatically lose their 11th pick. You're saying you think he'll be traded. Fine. That's your opinion, and perhaps you're right, which is something I already said to Lee about his post.

But IF the Pats trade him to us, what makes anyone believe we'll get the better end of that deal? They will at the very least ask for the #32 pick, and possibly a late round pick thrown in, after seeing how the Cooks trade went down.

The worst thing, in my opinion, is that we don't need Butler. And I don't believe he is what the Saints think he is. And before someone comes in and says the ole one liner of "the Saints know better than you do", I'll remind them of Brandon Browner, Jason David, Stanley Jean-Baptiste and Patrick Robinson, to name a few. They are not immune to badly misjudging cornerbacks.

If they get him, I won't be real excited, but I'll obviously be wishing him the best.

it doesn't, because that's not how it works. Look at Lee's post.
We get a deal with him in principle, and then call NE and work the trade (That second part is probably already done). He signs the 3.9 tender with them, gets traded to us, and then signs his new deal.
Zero percent chance we are giving up #11 for him in any scenario

It worries me we didn't take longer to work on actually trading Cooks for Butler with offsetting picks or other players. What was the urgency to move Cooks so soon? Draft isn't until late April.

I fear that a few years down the road, we would have wished that we would have simply kept Cooks for 1 more year then let him walk in FA and get the comp picks. Plenty of incentive for Cooks to play well for us in his final contract year so he could get big money elsewhere. Let FA work for us and help us control costs instead of trying to fight it.

It worries me we didn't take longer to work on actually trading Cooks for Butler with offsetting picks or other players. What was the urgency to move Cooks so soon? Draft isn't until late April.

I fear that a few years down the road, we would have wished that we would have simply kept Cooks for 1 more year then let him walk in FA and get the comp picks. Plenty of incentive for Cooks to play well for us in his final contract year so he could get big money elsewhere. Let FA work for us and help us control costs instead of trying to fight it.

He wasn't FORCED to fire anyone. Payton runs the show. Benson wouldn't order him to fire anyone. Loomis sure wouldn't. He fired them because they weren't doing their jobs adequately. It's as simple as that. Payton is FAR from stupid. He clearly knew changes were needed in those areas. Hell, the dimwits around here could see that, you know Payton had to have been able to see the same. We all know your bias against Payton. It borders on illogical hatred.

That is taking the assumption that the Patriots would be willing to trade him rather than make the Saints, or some other team, sign him and give up their first round pick. Even if they do trade him to us, what makes you think they wouldn't ask for one of our first rounders?