The Saints and Malcolm Butler have begun negotiations on a new contract and hope to strike a deal this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. From there, the Saints will discuss the parameters of a trade with the Patriots.
Butler won’t be meeting with New Orleans until later this week, but the two sides are already discussing a potential deal. From here, there are a number of different potential outcomes:
- The Saints sign Butler to an offer sheet and risk losing their No. 11 overall pick to New England. This scenario, I feel, is unlikely. Butler has previously pushed for top ten cornerback money and the Saints would be borderline crazy to give up such a valuable pick in addition to that type of contract. Butler could potentially agree to a lesser deal, but he’ll only bend so far and the Saints won’t end up with him if the deal is team-friendly enough for New England to match.
- The Saints hammer out contract terms with Butler, then work out a less-costly trade with the Patriots. The Patriots and Saints obviously have a good rapport as evidenced by the Brandin Cooks deal. The Patriots can afford to lose Butler after adding Stephon Gilmore and they could be inclined to negotiate if they believe New Orleans will not sacrifice the No. 11 pick. A good middle-ground option here might see the Patriots get back their own No. 32 overall pick. Then, in essence, the two sides will have swapped Cooks for Butler with the Saints moving up from No. 118 overall to No. 103. In this scenario, to circumvent the rules of restricted free agency, the Patriots would “sign-and-trade” Butler to New Orleans.
- The Patriots refuse to agree to a trade and the Saints refuse to part with the No. 11 overall pick. This would result in Butler continuing his (restricted) free agency tour. If he can’t find a team willing to cough up a first-round choice for the right to sign him and the Pats do not give him a multi-year extension, he’ll only have one option: play out 2017 with the Patriots on the one-year, $3.91MM first-round tender. Butler is reportedly not entertaining any sort of holdout, so his contractual drama would be put on pause until March 2018.
As a Pats fan I say to just let him go. He’s a great corner but Belichick has shown he knows what he’s doing. This year is deep with DB’s in the draft and if the Saints want him bad enough (They def need him) then play hardball and get the #11 Pick.
The patriots and saints are best buds the saints won’t have to give up a first round
I think they at least get their #32 back. Or mulitple 2nd’s. No way they let him go for anything less. There’s a reason they put the 1st rnd tender on him.
They put the tender on him to make surr they would have a top CB.
Saints aren’t going to give up more than the 32nd pick, not the 11th, not the 32nd and multiple 2nd rounders…Any front office knows this draft class is loaded with top tier cb talent. Plus like bravesfan1998 said if anything it will end up being a basic swap Cooks for Butler.
The saints would absolutely have to give up a first round pick. There’s no way we would let him go for anything less than a first and a mid. AT LEAST
They would absolutely have to give up a first rounder. There’s no way we would let him go for anything less than a 1st and a mid. AT LEAST
We gave ne a really good we,so you think you would at least want us to have butler
Hardball is what they can do but #11 will not be given up for him when Saints have too many holes to fill. The Saints and Patriots likely have the compensation figured out. The visit is more likely to see if a long term deal is possible to make it official.
32 is a possibility but you have to understand if this is a sign and trade, the Saints are taking on a new, expensive contract. Cooks was had for cheap w/ 2 years remaining on a rookie deal. We could be talking no picks or a later one involved but I can’t see 1st Round
You seem to be working on the assumption that the Pats have to do anything. They have the cap room to match any offer the Saints will make for Butler. If the Saints want him enough, the #32 will be the cost.
John,
You’re right. But the Patriots have a strong history of cutting people before they have to pay them. They’re the best in the NFL at identifying good, young talent. They pay very few guys big money. I feel like this was part of the plan all along, given what we know now about the Titans offer to the Saints.
If we’re being honest with ourselves, given what we know now, the price the Patriots paid for Cooks was a steal. You have to wonder why the Patriots were able to pull that deal off, with the alternative proposals by the Eagles and Titans being as strong as they were.
The Eagles offer was far from ‘strong”
Titans offer was not strong either. Move up from 11 to 5 for Cooks? No thanks, would rather keep 11 and add 32
Except they put a first round tender on the guy. If they were willing to let him go for a second, then they would have done the second round tender. I think NE made it clear that to get him, it would take a first.
Pats hold ALL the cards! Unless this deal was made several days ago to take back the 32nd pick, I would ask for more like the 11th pick or they could match Saints offer. No one knows what has taken place. Did Butler refuse to sign his paper work until now? Did the Saints and Pats agree they would swap players? My hope is they made a singular deal for Cooks and the 32nd pick. Maybe another team gives up a higher pick for Butler?
This deal was made several days ago. There’s a reason Butler is already negotiating with the Saints. You’re right, Pats do hold all the cards, and they’ll end up re-signing him if the Saints like the number, and trading him
I can tell who the Pat fans are…If yall can’t read between the lines, Payton and Belichick come from the same coaching tree, the school of Parcells. Pats fans, do yall think you guys got a fair deal or better deal in the Cooks trade? Payton is one of the few coaches I think Belichick respects and likes, there was some winking and nodding going on that if the Saints let the Cooks trade go without Butler being part of the deal that later down the line they would be fair.
He isn’t already negotiating with the Saints. He’s making a visit, but if this deal was already agreed to days ago, they would have pulled the trigger already
Are you serious? The Pats are in the drivers seat here. Butler has nothing to do with cooks. There’s no incentive to do anything at all but wait. They don’t NEED to entertain anything but that #11 pick or else he plays for NE for pennies another year…championship #6.
Maybe take a look back at how the Cooks trade transpired. There were several reporters who called this. Butler wasn’t in on the Cooks deal because he couldn’t be. He’s an RFA. This will be a sign and trade.
Jordan he is indeed an RFA but if Butler thought he was getting paid by NO, he would have been able to sign his tender and be placed in the deal. He wasn’t traded because NE didn’t put him in the deal. No other team has as strong an offer.
Then you have him! The #11 will not be an option to give up. The Saints have too many holes and settling for just the 32 in the 1st round is not going to cut it. The Saints are not going to nust lay down and take it. These 2 teams have been working with each other since Payton took over in 06.
So menaceman45 you know the reason the Saints shipped Cooks off? He no longer wanted to be here…the same as Butler no longer wanting to be in NE, if you really think the Saints are going to give up the 11th pick for Butler you know absolutely nothing, I will wait and watch you have to retract your words when it happens.
You guys are nuts, Butler is a Top 5 CB in the league. Cooks is maybe Top 30 WR. If the Pats trade Butler it will be for 11 or nothing. Taking back the 32 is far from enough. Pats don’t want to trade him anyway, got him for cheap and have the capital to match any reasonable offer.
Top 30?! Maybe educate yourself a little more on these guys before making yourself look silly on here…. Cooks is a Top 10 receiver all day. I challenge you to find 10 who’ve matched or bested his production the last 2 seasons.
I’ll list 15 who are better, off the top of my head. Don’t care about numbers, I’m sure if I had a list I would pick another 10 more before Cooks.
Antonio Brown, Julio Jones, AJ Green, Mike Evans, Julian Edelman, Sammy Watkins, Allen Robinson, Odell Beckham, Jarvis Landry, Jordie Nelson, Dez Bryant, Larry Fitzgerald, Emmanuel Sanders, Alshon Jeffrey, Doug Baldwin.
Don’t care about numbers? Wow you’re missing the entire premise of how this game works.. Consistency matters, durability matters… Speed, Route Running, Hands… All of these things matter… There are these guys in organizations called GM’s and Coaches, and they care about the numbers. I promise you. Maybe that’s why the Patriots gave a 1st and a 3rd for Cooks? The last time the Patriots surrendered a first round pick, it was to acquire Bill Belichick… Think about that!
This isn’t the MLB, keep your stats, watch the game and tell me who would you rather have more. Everyone I listed is better than Cooks, so point is valid. Organizations, especially successful ones, want football players and don’t value stats like you arm chair GMs. The trade shows you how much the value the talent in this draft. They probably have only a handful with first round grades and most likely would be trading out of 32. The second pick was nothing and only a move of 15 spots back.
John – What would be funny is, if the Patriots for some reason decided to turn around and trade Brandin Cooks, you would be on here shouting that he is one of the top WRs in the league and they should get multiple 1st round picks and multiple 2nd or 3rd round picks.
Because you know me so well? A made up scenario from a Browns fan, ha. Jim Brown ain’t walking through that door, enjoy the draft.
Yeah, I know you because you are a Patriots fan and that’s how most of you operate. Good thing Jim Brown isn’t walking through the door, he’s almost 80. Wouldn’t be much help any more.
Wow, can’t get anything by you.
Gee, another prick on the internet who does all their talking from behind the safety of a keyboard. Lots of that on here, especially from Patriots fans.
This is a comments section, isn’t that how it is done? With a keyboard?
This is boring, talking to yet another mouthy Patriots fan who is only brave when they are running their mouth from behind the safety of a keyboard. I’m done, I’ll let you get back to milking yourself to that picture of Brady.
1st we aren’t talking.
2nd I’m a chick, so that Brady image you have in your head, which you just typed, sounds like a good time.
Call it talking, not talking, whatever.
U are a chick?
Neat.
That’s a sad fantasy though.
Now you are picturing me and Brady. You Brownie fans are so good with your imagination, I guess you have to, since that’s the only way you could see your team holding the Lombardi Trophy
So you picked the name John because that’s where you do all of your business?
wow, you just come up with that now or did you stay up past your bed time last night writing zingers for comments sections?
I’m not picturing you at all. I’d rather not vomit.
I’d rather never see them touch a Lombardi trophy than have to cheat to win one, like, you know, a certain team has done a few times.
There you go with your imagination again, more story time for a Brownies fan
So all of those fines and lost draft picks a certain team has incurred are all in my imagination?
Commish can do whatever he wants at any time without facts. So fines and picks have nothing to do with the truth, that is what they went to court for and the judge decided.
No, it is about power, specifically the owners power over the players. It has been set by the courts and now, for the next CBA, if the players want some taken away they will have to negotiate and give something up. You’re to focused in, you need to see the big picture and understand what the real battle is
John? Your a chick? Are you a transgender Patriots fan? It is funny you can change the name anytime you post something…so unless your Katilyn Jenner, I call bullshit!
Ok then, big old mean commissioner is just picking on the poor little Patriots. Big old meany head.
Wow. Even more delusional than I thought. Scary.
I’m done here, not going to respond to you any longer. I’d rather deal with people who still have a grip on their sanity. You clearly do not.
You said this 10 comments ago, who is not sane?
You
God I love having you validate my personal opinion that you’re completely insane.
Why do you always feel the need to insert yourself where you are neither wanted nor needed? Just go away, snowflake.
Oh no, some asshat on the internet has a negative opinion of me! Whatever shall I do? How can I go on?
GFY, Connor
How many on that list have Cook’s salary though? Watkins? I agree with all of your list except, Edelman is not a better receiver than Cooks
He’s not close to a Top 10. MAYBE top 20. Maybe
Nope. Butler is not a top 5 guy, he works very hard tho.
We are getting back #32, and maybe a small sweetener, this deal was done last week, all depends on if the Saints give Butler the money and guarantees and makes him feel comfortable. If they don’t, we get Butler back – and I don’t think Coach B is all that happy about losing his 1st round pick.
Remember, Butler knows what it means to work for milk, just 3+ years ago he was working a fast food kitchen, he is 27, no regular rookie, he is still hungry – very hungry – can still feel what poor means – still looks over his shoulder. He will give 110% – no matter where, but he wants to stay in NE, so the saints will have to flash some cash.
I credit most of the Pats success on Brady and Belicheck’s defensive coaching, most players from NE are successful because of the system…Pats fan tell me how many defensive players that were traded, released, or lost in FA that had as much or more success afterwards?
Butler says he WILL play 110% this season, regardless of where he lands. He deserves to be able to test the waters, and take of his own career/future – he is NOT a youngster – he wants more money now, and some guarantees – you can’t blame him. We won 2 SB rings while he played back there, and the Patriots are grateful for his efforts. If he is truthful, he will play hard for NE if he can’t find a better deal. If he finds a better deal, then NE will also get taken care of – this is a win-win for everyone except US, the fans who dream of a Butler-Gilmore tandem.
The Pats are always my team. But should have never got to this place. Is Gilmore better then Butler? I don’t see that.
And certainly not heads above better. Both are all-pro types.
How is the Pats secondary better with the subtraction of Butler & the addition of Gilmore? Throw in Ryan’s departure too & it’s not.
Plus Butler only saved a Super Bowl for the Pats. And is a no problem off and on the field, does what’s asked of him team member. Butler should have got paid before Gilmore.
Why pay him when you don’t have to? the Pats are playing it correctly. Gilmore is a UFA, gets paid what the market is. Butler is restricted and his value is set. Wait and see what happens and definitely don’t believe all these rumors
I guess I’ll let you ponder why Cooks just fetched more for the Saints than Jimmy Graham did. Graham was easily the 2nd best TE in the game at the time of that trade. But who am I.. Agree to disagree… There are at least 5 receivers on your list who had one big year and then a let down year in 2016. Consider how often some of those guys like Beckham and Robinson are thrown too, then look at Cooks targets. Numbers don’t lie… In any sport by the way.. Not sure why you think numbers matter only in MLB.. That’s dumb
Wasn’t just a 1st for Graham, it also included Max Unger, so a Pro Bowl player coming off heading a line who was in the Super Bowl. Not sure that helps your position on the Cooks trade.
Not sure if this comes across, but I like the Cooks for pick 32 trade. It’s the Butler for 32 I don’t agree with, he is much more valuable
This meeting doesn’t even happen until Thursday – Patriots Nation gonna be white hot by then. Saints front office bean counters are gonna see all this chatter and get a hard-on for Butler. For sure we get at least #32 back, maybe more?
If I were the Saints, this situation would worry me. After all of the effort of meeting Butler, discussing contract terms, and all of that, then working on option #2 above, I would be worried that after agreeing to terms with NE on a “sign-and-trade” for #32 or whatever and then signing Butler to an offer sheet like option #2, the Patriots would wait until the offer sheet is signed, then back out of the deal for #32. With the offer sheet signed, they would then decline to match and take the Saints’ #11 pick.
The more likely scenerio is Saints and Butler work out the terms, Butler signs RFA tender and then trade happens. Pats may even sign him to the deal the Saints and Butler agree on then the trade happens and Saints take on the contract. The #11 pick is not going to be given up so you dont sign him and then pray Pats dont back out. These GMs and front office personnel do this for a living. For all we know, Butlers visit is to pass a physical and trade happens right away after.
I don’t think the Saints can give the Pats back their 1st round #32 pick for Butler.
I think they have to cough up their #11 pick.
Doubt that it happens but I would like to see us keep Butler, Donta & Blount.
I can just about guarantee absolute worst case scenario that they worked this out 4-5 day’s ago when the Cooks trade went down that BB and the Saints had this all done just waiting and needing Butler to come down for a health/medical physical pass it and I’d he does we (The Patriots) get at the absolute very minimum our 32 1st rd back, mid ground we see and like the $ Butler agrees to with the Saints offer sheet and we sign him as it’s to good/better than originally thought to pass up and the very best case scenario we get the Saints 11 1st rd and he goes to the Saints. Done deal 😉
All this talk about him coming down to take a physical and then the trade will happen is garbage. If the trade was going to happen, they would have done it by now. After that, he would take his physical and if he didn’t pass, the Saints could void the deal and act like nothing ever happened.
So when does a name on a comment section correlate to a gender “beau”? I do find it interesting you thinking of transgender Pats fans
Patriots just re-signed Hightower. I’d say that means that “Butler to the ‘aints for #32” is about done from the team’s & coaches perspective. All that needs to happen is for Payton to show Butler some love.
Not to rub salt, but Cooks was just quoted as saying “trade to Patriots is a dream come true”… And don’t get me wrong, I love Brees.