Broncos head coach Sean Payton said on Thursday that 90 percent of the players his teams have traded away over the years have been moved because they weren’t “the right fit,” but this week’s deal involving wide receiver Devaughn Vele didn’t fall into that group.
Payton said three teams called the Broncos to show interest in trading for Vele and that the initial response was no because they valued what Vele brings to the offense. The Saints upped their offer to include a 2026 fourth-round pick, however, and the move became “something we would do.” The overall depth of the receiver room also helped make it possible to pull the trigger.
“The following day, it picked up,” Payton said, via the team’s website. “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.”
Second-year wideout Troy Franklin has had a strong summer and the arrival of third-round pick Pat Bryant alongside Courtland Sutton and Marvin Mims means that Vele wouldn’t be guaranteed a weekly role in the offense, so the Broncos opted for the draft assets instead of someone Payton believes will be “a real good player” in New Orleans.
