Saints made a spite trade to draft a fourth quarterback

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The Saints have already invested heavily in the first Taysom Hill this offseason.

But they also spent a 2021 draft pick on a guy who they think could become the next one, and managed to jam a division rival in the process.

Via Jeff Duncan of TheAthletic.com, the Saints made the aggressive move to trade their sixth-rounder next year for the 240th overall pick, so they could take Mississippi State quarterback Tommy Stevens.

The short version of the story is that before the end of the draft, Stevens had effectively agreed to join the Panthers as an undrafted free agent, based largely on a tie to offensive coordinator Joe Brady. Brady was a grad assistant at Penn State when Stevens was recruited there.

The Saints were interested in a similar deal, and negotiated with Stevens’ agent during the draft, but then the agent stopped taking their calls, leaving the Saints to assume they were sticking with their agreement with the Panthers. Since the Saints had traded all their third-day picks to move up to take tight end Adam Trautman in the third, they had no ammunition, so they made a deal with the Texans for the pick needed to acquire Stevens.

“It became my project,” Payton said.

Payton texted Brady “Not so fast,” and Brady apparently replied with a good-natured profanity to Saints coordinator Pete Carmichael, acknowledging that his old boss had beaten him to the punch. Stevens eventually talked to Payton and said he felt stuck because he had given his word to the Panthers.

“I said, honestly, I was having some fun,” Payton said. “You had given your word and I respect that. But we weren’t going to lose you. You were going to become a Saint.”

Of course, all of Payton’s gamesmanship may turn out to be for naught. With so much invested in Drew Brees and Hill, and former No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston signing on the cheap, the Saints may or may not have room for another project at the position. And by drafting him, they’re on the hook for about $80,000 in signing bonus (they offered to guarantee more in salary before drafting him). If they cut him, the Panthers can always claim Stevens off waivers for free, as roster spots should be easier to come by in Charlotte than New Orleans this year.

But for today, Payton got his man. And bragging rights over one of his old assistants. Even if it is a bit of a weird flex.