It’s been rumored for some time now that New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler could be on his way to the New Orleans Saints and Butler could be inching closer to finding himself playing in the ‘Big Easy’.
The 27-year-old Patriots corner spent Thursday visiting the Saints and impressed head coach Sean Payton. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that the meeting went well and both sides are motivated to get a deal done, which would mean that the Saints and Patriots would have to agree to terms on a trade.
“He’s a sharp, sharp kid,” Payton told KLSD-AM in San Diego (h/t NFL.com).
“The first three years he’s had in this league, he’s had a tremendous amount of success, winning two Super Bowls in three years and been a big part of a team that’s accomplished a lot,” Payton said. “So I’d say he’s humble, but when you watch the tape, he plays with a chip on his shoulder. We practiced with New England now in that three-year timeframe twice. So there’s a lot of additional practice tape that we have a chance to look closely at and I’m sure (Patriots coach) Bill (Belichick) and his staff (did) the same ⦠when evaluating (wideout Brandin) Cooks.”
The Saints and Patriots recently did business when they agreed to a trade that sent wide receiver Brandin Cooks to New England for the Patriots 2017 1st round pick, 32nd overall.
It was rumored that Butler may be part of that deal, but the Saints and Pats worked out a different compensation structure.
Butler could still find himself headed to New Orleans before the NFL draft.