Once again, the Saints have interest in acquiring cornerback Malcolm Butler. New Orleans is eyeing the Patriots free agent as well as Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, according to Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
The Patriots and Saints discussed a trade last offseason that would have sent Butler to New Orleans, but talks fell apart when the two sides could not agree to the level of draft compensation. After a down year, the Saints now have an opportunity to sign Butler to a cheaper deal and they won’t have to give up draft picks to do it, save for the impact the signing would have on their compensatory formula. Butler ranked just 51st amongst Pro Football Focus’ qualified corners last season and was virtually a healthy scratch in the Super Bowl.
The Giants released Rodgers-Cromartie over the weekend after he rejected a pay cut. DRC was scheduled to make $6.48MM in 2018, a figure that he can likely come close to on the open market. A reunion with the Broncos appeared to make some sense for Rodgers-Cromartie, but Denver does not have interest. Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune tweets that the cornerback does have a connection to the organization, as senior defensive assistant Peter Giunta was the Giants cornerbacks coach back in 2014.