So here’s what we know: three different NFL teams have been granted interviews with former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton, suggesting that the Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, and Houston Texans each have an understanding of what it would take to trade for Payton’s contract now that he’s looking for work again.
And that’s sent Saints fans into a spiral, daydreaming about which draft picks their team might get back — could the second and third overall picks in the 2023 draft be in play, giving New Orleans a shot at premium quarterback prospects like C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young? Don’t bet on it. But crazier things have happened.
Still, it’s important to get an idea of where each of those suitors stands. Remember, players can’t be involved in coach trades. Only draft picks and cash can be exchanged. And because the draft order has not been fully finalized until compensatory picks have been awarded, we only know the exact slots for the top three rounds. Let’s recap the selections available to the Texans, Cardinals, and Broncos right now: