The Saints are hosting Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler on his visit today and there is “momentum toward finalizing a deal before he leaves,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Butler, of course, is a restricted free agent who has been assigned the first-round tender. 
As I detailed earlier this week, there are a few potential outcomes that sprout come from the Saints’ interest. The seemingly obvious scenario of the Saints actually signing Butler to an offer sheet is probably the most unlikely of the bunch. Butler is an excellent player, but it would be surprising to see the Saints give him top cornerback money and sacrifice the No. 11 overall pick.
If Patriots coach Bill Belichick is willing to play ball (and, perhaps, circumvent the collective bargaining agreement a bit in the process), the two sides could hammer out a trade in which the Patriots sign-and-trade Butler to New Orleans. A potential deal could see the Patriots recoup the No. 32 overall pick they shipped to the Saints in the Brandin Cooks trade. That, more or less, would result in a swap of Butler and Cooks with the Saints also climbing up from No. 118 overall to No. 103.
Of course, the Patriots could also change course and get serious about a multi-year deal to keep Butler tied down and happy. With a duo of Stephon Gilmore and Butler, the Pats would have one of the best cornerback pairs in the NFL.
Option B. Please Belichick, option B. I’ve got goosebumps thinking about what that secondary would look like if we had both Gilmore and Butler.
Butler is good as gone.
Lots of really good corners in this draft. Not a bad consolation to have Gilmore and then draft one of those corners.
Same goes for the Saints. For a team that has struggled mightily at corner over the last several seasons, they have a chance to land Butler, and then draft one of the good corners coming out.
Hellooooo..everybody..
There’s a reason he was assigned a 1st round tender (and not to get a 32nd pick in the
1st round. ) Come on people…
It will be for 32… Sign and Trade. Payton and Belichick are close and these two teams have wheeled and dealed before. Watch and see
give us back cooks then , u want your cake and eat it to ?
That’s not how this works. I don’t see BB letting Butler go for less than #11. There’s a reason why he designated Butler w/ that tag.
Either re-sign him, or get a #11 pick.
Much as I’d like it, the Saints won’t give #11 AND give Butler the contract he wants. Nothing stops the Saints from staying at #11 and drafting a top notch corner that’s controllable at Rookie rates for four years. And that, unfortunately for us Pats fans, IS how it could work.
#11!!! You are delusional!
The Saints showing interest in Butler before the Cooks trade just solidifies BB’s thought that they’d be willing to do it to get him. They desperately need help on defense, Butler can help them there.
Yeah I’m not sure Belichick will give Payton Butler for 32 because I don’t see why the Pats give up Butler who would be locked up long term for 2 years of Cooks and move back in the draft. I think it’s either long-term deal with NE, he gets stuck playing out the tender and then leaves, or someone else gives him an offer sheet with a pick in the 20’s.
Pats didn’t plan on keeping Butler long term anyways, hence the deal for Gilmore. It’s almost genius when you think of it. The Pats just get to decide where he goes, and in the end the Pats get their 1st round pick back at 32… At the end of the day, for a guy they didn’t plan on signing long term, the Patriots get Brandin Cooks for a third round pick.
No they do not get Cooks fora third round pick. They also would lose Butler in yoy “genius” scenario.
Does anyone else find these Patriot fans to be delusional
“Does anyone else find these Patriot fans to be delusional”
🙂
Maybe its because the saints would have to lock him up long term, and those same 2 years would be more expensive than the 2 years the patriots get out of Cooks. Also, they wouldnt be moving back in the draft, they get the pick they gave up, why should they get the number move up in the theoretically move up in the first 21 spots when they get the cheaper player?
They get #11 bc that’s what that tag stipulates.
Not if its a trade
Yeah I don’t see where a Cooks/Butler exchange along with the Saints moving up in the draft is a win for the Pats. If this goes down then I think the Payton
will have gotten the better of BB.
How would he have gotten the better of him, if they give up the 32nd pick all it means is the they made an even swap. The saints would only move up 15 spots, which could be seen as compensation for Pats getting 2 cheaper years out of Cooks. How is this really that hard to comprehend. It would be the Saints getting screwed if they got only the 32nd and moved up 15 spots for a cheap Cooks, but then give up the 11th while having to pay Butler, that sounds fair to you?
I just think a top 10 corner is more valuable than a top 10 receiver in this NFL. Especially when you’re the Pats and already deep at WR/TE and have an HOF QB who can bring out the best in even a journeyman receiver.
Yea is that why the patriots told butler last year they wouldnt give a db 10m/yr, then they give gilmore 13. Gilmore was ranked middle of the pack by pff yet patriots apparently value him more than ryan or butler.
The only thing that matters for teams is that Gilmore was an UFA and Butler is a RFA but that tag doesn’t negate Butler’s skills as a CB or make Gilmore’s skills better.
Well it apparently matters enough that they dont want to pay their own guys but will pay others. That is the very reason Butler is upset, because they told him they wouldnt give a db 10m. So what does it say to how they value their own players when they arent willing to pay them.
Pats have all the leverage now. Cooks for Butler WAS a fair trade before, but that’s the past. Saints’ options are sign the tender and give up #11, walk away and draft a CB, or make an offer Pats will accept. I can’t see Pats taking less than #32 AND more draft picks
why would bill burn brige’s ,Also this is the closing of the cooks deal
This is why I would never ask a player to take less money because they are treated like objects to be used and cast out when ever coach or owners want. They are people that lay it all out on the field and risk their body and their minds for their team. They should pay Butler for being not just a great player but a great patriot that always did everything they asked him to do. But hey doing the right thing isn’t the way my team works and it seems that as long as they win that’s all that matters to most of us. I guess that wanting both is me asking for to much. Win and do the right thing.
Expecting Bulter to go for the 32 and a 5th rounder (Bill always wants a free late rounder). But would far prefer the Pats let him play out the tender plus a 1 year franchise tag. Two more years of Butler with Brady at the helm would be a beautiful thing.
I think Butler would be smart to sign a 1 year deal for a medium amount of money(kind of like a prove it deal) and if he does well he shows that he is worth that money if not then teams realize that he was just a fluke. Plus if he leaves the Pats I think he will struggle, I think he is a perfect fit for the Pats system and won’t thrive as much with the Saints defense or where ever he ends up
He’s not the issue, the first round pick attached to him is the issue.
Do not sign n trade him for the last first round pick, patriots are loaded and already are super bowl favorites, get another ring n let him walk, we all know winning is everything to this organization at all costs, keep butler trade jimmy g for a first as they can’t start him. Patriots should n hopefully will not settle for pick 32 for butler. Keep him or get a better pick, it’s a damn no brainer no one they can get at pick 32 will help them win another super bowl like butler.
I don’t get what people don’t understand. The Patriots couldn’t trade Butler for Cooks because he hasn’t signed his tender when the deal went down. Bill and Sean made a deal involving Butler and Cooks. Temporarily, the Patriots had to give the Saints their #32 just in case Butler couldn’t come to an agreement with the Saints. It’s obvious that the trade was really Butler for Cooks and the #3 swap. Butler will go to the Saints and the Patriots will get their #32 back. I wish it was different – I love Butler!
Please do not give #11 for him he ain’t worth that