Patriots restricted free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler will be visiting the Saints on Thursday, coach Sean Payton tells Brett Martel of The Associated Press (on Twitter). This will be Butler’s first free agent visit. 
Butler, of course, is a restricted free agent and the Patriots reserve the right to match any signed offer sheet. If the Patriots decline to match an offer sheet, Butler will join that new team and the Patriots will receive that club’s 2017 first-round pick.
After signing Stephon Gilmore in free agency, that’s a concession the Patriots might be willing to make. The Pats are already down a pick thanks to the Brandin Cooks deal completed with New Orleans last week, so this could be their opportunity to get back into the first round. In the Cooks deal, the Pats received the No. 118 overall selection while pick Nos. 32 and 103 went to New Orleans.
RFA rules dictate that the Patriots would receive the No. 11 overall pick from New Orleans, not their own No. 32, if the Saints were to sign Butler away. It’s possible that this could be the starting point for a sign-and-trade type of deal. The Patriots could agree to a deal with Butler, then trade him to New Orleans for lesser compensation. Sign-and-trade deals are not often seen in the NFL, but neither are salary dump trades and that barrier was broken recently by the Browns and Texans in the Brock Osweiler deal.
The Patriots could also play hardball and refuse to take anything less than the No. 11 pick from the Saints. If that happens, Butler will probably continue to meet with interested clubs, some of whom may be willing to sacrifice a first founder. The worst case scenario for New England is that they retain the rights to one of the league’s better cornerbacks in Butler. Reportedly, Butler isn’t thrilled with New England right now, but he is not going to hold out under any circumstances.
Let’s got Lion’s, get in the conversation.
There’s zero chance the Saints are giving up the 11 pick for Butler. Judd have been better off trading Cooks for Butler straight up than giving up the 11 pick. Basically passing on the straight up deal, and then making the deal for Butler anyway would equate to:
Cooks, the 11th pick, and the 103rd pick for Butler, the 32nd pick, and the 118th pick.
Essentially, they traded down 21 spots in the first and moved up 18 spots in the middle rounds. There’s no argument to be made that this is nearly as valuable as just making the straight up trade of Cooks for Butler.
But the 32nd pick could happen. It would equate to:
Cooks and the 118th pick for Butler and the 103rd pick.
That would be increased value for the Saints. If they didn’t like the Cooks for Butler offer, then this at least makes more sense for them.
They’d have been better off! Stupid phone. Stupid Judd!!!
First of all, Belichick would never trade a good CB for a star WR receiver straight up. Thats just not how they value each position. Secondly, You cannot trade Butler until he signs his restricted tender. Any team thats signs Butler has to forfeit their 1st rounder to the Patriots. It will be unwise for any team to give up a 1st round pick AND have to pay Butler a boat load of money.
I’m not getting into the thought process of people neither of us know. The report said what it said. I merely repeated it.
As for the rules of the tender. Butler can agree to terms with him, and then work out a different trade. He’d have to sign that contract with the Patriots, and then Pats would execute the agreed upon trade. He does not have to sign the tender to be traded.
Sorry. Misspoke in my hurriedness. Butler would sign the tender and then be dealt. He’d then be able to sign the extension with the Saints.
justinept:
Malcolm Butler does not have a contract until he signs the restricted tender. You cannot trade anyone unless he is under contract. I am not sure of your last 2 sentences. It seems like you are saying the same thing I am.
I wouldn’t be against Butler signing with New Orleans because we could draft Marshon Lattimore who could be just as good
Lattimore won’t be there at 11… which the Pats won’t get anyway… and he definitely won’t be there at 32.
Doesn’t need to happen. We don’t need to lose our 11th pick for him. We should draft one with more upside instead. An even trade would’ve been better but that’s not the Patriot way of doing things. Don’t do it NO!!
Can there be a sign and trade for the 32nd pick?
I don’t think there can be but I’m not 100% sure
Yes. There can be.
Yes they can do a sign and trade involving the 32nd pick.
He’d sign the tender with the Pats, then be shipped o the Saints where he’d get the new contract.
There ya go then
We’ll take our 32 back
Bears, jump on this ASAP. This will fix our secondary big time. I thought I saw that if Butler became a option, the Bears were going to see what they could do ASAP. But I think when they heard 1st round pick for him, that hurt the Teams interested because teams don’t think he’s worth a 1st round pick?????????