Were the Saints on the wrong end of this viral draft-day phone call with the Broncos GM?

Was New Orleans Saints GM Mickey Loomis on the wrong end of this viral 2021 draft-day phone call with Denver Broncos GM George Paton?

George Paton is really popular with Denver Broncos fans these days. He’s executed blockbuster trades for franchise quarterback Russell Wilson and head coach Sean Payton in back-to-back offseasons, but that followed the strong impression he made during the 2021 NFL draft. The Broncos shared video from their war room with fans after the draft in which Paton took phone calls with other teams while negotiating trades

“Hey let me, look I’ve got someone else who’s going to give me more,” Paton said frankly to one speaker, hanging up and switching to another line with applause raining in from around him. The video skips in an edit to Paton speaking with various general managers around the league, leading off with, well: “Hey Mickey.”

Mickey Loomis and the New Orleans Saints did trade with the Broncos in the 2021 draft, sending both of their compensatory third-round picks (Nos. 98 and 105) so they could move up to the Broncos’ pick at No. 76 and select cornerback Paulson Adebo.

So we’ve got Paton chirping to a competitor that he’s about to get a better offer from someone else, we’ve got him addressing Loomis at a later time, and we’ve got a trade the Saints and Broncos executed in that same draft. Does that mean Loomis was on the wrong end of things?

Not necessarily. Paton traded with multiple teams during the 2021 draft, moving down in the second round (with the Atlanta Falcons) and in the third round (with the New York Giants, who gave them the No. 76 pick they traded to New Orleans) while acquiring picks in the later rounds. So that’s three possible teams who could’ve been on the line with the Broncos general manager. We’ll rule this one as inconclusive.

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