The Texans got a third-round draft pick for trading cornerback Bradley Roby, but they had to pay Roby a lot of money on his way out the door.
The Saints are sending a 2022 third-round pick, plus a conditional pick in 2023 to the Texans, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.
But the Saints aren’t giving that up just to get Roby on their roster. They’re also giving it up because the Texans were willing to take on most of Roby’s cap hit: The Texans paid $7 million of Roby’s salary, while the Saints will pay the remainder, which is about $1.8 million.
In a sense, the Texans bought a third-round pick from the Saints: New Orleans wouldn’t have been willing to give up a third-round pick if the Texans hadn’t been willing to take such a big portion of Roby’s cap hit. The Texans are a team looking to add the best draft picks they can for the future, while the Saints are trying to add good players now while still managing to stay under the salary cap. The two teams found a trade that met both of their needs.