Sean Payton’s efforts to reestablish relationships with former players and coaches in the Mile High City appear to have worn out head coach Dennis Allen of the New Orleans Saints. In his capacity as head coach of the Denver Broncos, Payton has brought in tight end Adam Trautman through trade, signed a number of former Saints players, and employed a number of his former coaches in New Orleans.
Payton’s let’s get the band back together mentality, along with the rumours about Saints quarterback Taysom Hill’s availability on the trade market, may be getting on Allen’s nerves. While offering some extra insight, Allen wouldn’t completely rule out the notion that the Broncos have contacted the Saints regarding Hill.
“No, the subject (of a Taysom Hill trade) has not come up,” Allen stated via Last Word on Sports from the Florida annual NFL owners’ meetings. “We’ll see, but it seems like Sean has been attempting to convince everyone to travel to Denver with him.”
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Was Payton insulted by Allen? No. However, it was a warning shot, indicating that Payton has somehow irritated Allen.
Even though Pete Carmichael, the offensive coordinator, left the Saints, Allen could not have been happy about his employment in Denver this offseason. Along with Joe Lombardi, Mike Westhoff, Dan Dalrymple, and associate head coach and special teams coordinator Joe Lombardi, Carmichael is another former Saints coach that Payton brought to the Mile High City.
Carmichael’s inclusion in particular appeared to heighten interest in the Hill situation. In the end, Payton and Carmichael turned Hill, a former undrafted free agent, into a kind of Swiss Army Knife weapon.
In need of a temporary quarterback who is familiar with the Payton sausage factory? Hill has you covered. What about a reliable tight end or H-back who can also contribute to special teams? Not an issue. Maybe you’re searching for an offensive weapon that can move like the Joker so you can make plays? Hill is willing to comply, particularly if it is for Payton and Carmichael.
But Hill still has a few years left on his Saints contract. Payton’s last season as head coach of the New Orleans Saints saw Hill secure a $40 million, four-year contract deal. It was only recently that the money began to flow in.
It’s a lot of money to pay for a third-string quarterback, unless you have a clear plan for a player like Hill. or even a QB backup.
After Payton resigned after the 2021 season, the Saints are still going through drastic organizational changes. While Payton started out as an analyst for FOX Sports, New Orleans made strides forward by hiring Allen.
Payton experienced a strong urge to become a coach in the fall of 2022. Even though the Saints still had coaching rights, he was soon connected to other NFL head coaching openings.
This implied that a team would need to make a deal with the Saints in order to make Payton their head coach. Upon the Broncos’ decision regarding Payton, the Saints forfeited his rights, incurring the high cost of a first- and second-round draft selection.
Denver also received a 2024 third-round pick in exchange, which lessened the blow of Payton’s price tag. However, the Saints trade also clarifies the Broncos’ lack of a second-round pick in 2024.
Will the Broncos ever be able to take Hill off the hands of New Orleans? I have no doubts. But the Broncos can’t afford to make any more expensive trades with the Saints since they have so many gaps in their squad and a huge quarterback position that Hill would not address.
Now, that would be more conceivable if Saints general manager Mickey Loomis intended to deal Hill away as more of a salary dump, similar to how the Broncos sold wideout Jerry Jeudy to the Cleveland Browns for two late-round picks. Hill carries a $15.7M cap number for 2024, so anything more than a fifth-round pick wouldn’t make sense.
More probable? The Broncos take advantage of the Saints’ decision to release Hill by waiting out the inevitable. That most likely won’t happen until far into the summer, though, as the Saints would incur a dead-money blow of over $18 million for a pre-June 1 release and $7.2 million for a post-June 1 cut.
In the meantime, the NFL draft is quickly approaching, and the Broncos plan to select a quarterback with the No. 12 overall pick. Denver has eight selections overall in the 2024 draft as of right now.
It’s important to note that Allen’s NFL career took a significant leap in 2011 when he worked as defensive coordinator for the Broncos, under head coach John Fox. Allen used that to his advantage during his disastrous first head coaching position with the Oakland Raiders.
Following Allen’s firing by the Raiders in 2015, Payton appointed him as his defensive coordinator in New Orleans. Many in the league took issue with the Saints’ decision to name Allen as Payton’s replacement. As the Saints’ head coach, Allen has a 16–18 record, which is just over average for him.
