ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — This wasn't a typical trade.
In Head Coach Sean Payton's nearly two decades as a head coach, he's helped execute a number of deals. Twenty-five players, Payton said Thursday, have been involved in trades during his tenure across the Broncos and Saints.
And in most cases, the trade is clear-cut. It's a clear decision.
"Ninety percent of them were easy trades to make," Payton said. "Meaning, there wasn't the right fit — for whatever reason."
The Broncos' decision to trade Devaughn Vele to the Saints was among the outliers.
"There's that 10 percent that are difficult," Payton said. "This was one of those 10 percent."
Payton said the difficulty comes from the second-year receiver possessing "all those things that we look for: discipline, structure, smart, tough, talent." And that's why the Broncos weren't shopping Vele — and were initially prepared to turn down any trade requests.
"Two [teams]— and then a third team — all called," Payton said. "In other words, we weren't actively shopping at all. Teams in need of receivers obviously do a good enough job [of scouting]. They look at the depth of certain teams. Within like a three-day period, [General Manager] George [Paton] and I had gotten calls from two serious teams and a third, and all coincidentally on the same player. Look, George would know better the initial offer, what the compensation would be, and the next morning, he and I sat down and said, 'No.' Obviously, we value this player."
The calls, though, kept coming. Vele, a 2024 seventh-round pick who had nearly 500 yards as a rookie, remained on several teams' wish lists.
"The following day, it picked up," Payton said. "It became more serious. And then we're having to look at the roster as a whole and trying to find the right and the best 53."
After evaluating their depth at the position, Payton and Paton agreed the Saints' eventual offer was "going to be best for the club" and accepted the deal.
"I think George and I both knew, if it became a [fourth-round pick], that's something we would do," Payton said.
The depth in the Broncos' receiver room helped make the trade possible. Second-year receiver Troy Franklin has been among the stars of training camp, and third-round rookie Pat Bryant led the team in receiving against Arizona. Add in Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims Jr. and special teams contributor Trent Sherfield Sr., and the Broncos' wide receiving room quickly becomes difficult to crack.
"I've seen a lot of growth," safety Brandon Jones said of Franklin and Bryant. "Just their overall confidence, going to get the ball, running routes. Them being able to diagnose, as well, what the secondary's playing, what coverage we're in. They're making their breaks based off of the coverage, the leverage that we have. I've always said, if you are comfortable, that's when you can play fast and play your best brand of football."
Particularly on game day, the Broncos may have struggled to have six receivers in uniform given the league's inactive policy.
"When you … factor in where Troy's at, where Pat's at, where Sherfield's at, [it impacts the decision]," Payton said. "We can keep six receivers, [but] we're probably only going to get five to the game. And look, [Vele] may have been going to the game, but there would have been discussion as to out of the six, how are we looking at our game day?
"And so — I said this a few weeks ago — I think we have a few players here who may end up playing for other teams — and here's one."
The Broncos, though, did not find it easy to part with the Utah product.
"He's going to be a real good player for them," Payton said. "… We wish him well."
