Sean Payton: Saints beat Panthers to punch for unsung QB late in draft
METAIRIE, La. -- The rivalry between the
New Orleans Saints and
Carolina Panthers extended into the late seventh round of this year's
NFL draft.
Coach Sean Payton gave a
behind-the-scenes breakdown to The Athletic of how the Saints decided to swoop in and draft quarterback/flex player
Tommy Stevens before he had the chance to sign with Carolina as an undrafted free agent.
"There's no way I was going to lose this kid," Payton said of the former Mississippi State and Penn State quarterback who was often compared to the Saints' versatile
Taysom Hill leading up to the draft.
"We know the role. We invented the role."
Stevens had previously worked with new Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady when Brady was a graduate assistant at Penn State. And Brady, of course, used to work as an offensive assistant with the Saints -- which added to the intrigue of this bidding war.
"It became my project," said Payton, who said the Saints first offered to match Carolina's offer (a $15,000 signing bonus and $30,000 of Stevens' salary guaranteed).
Then Payton said the Saints tried upping the offer to $144,000 of the salary guaranteed. But Stevens and agent Buddy Baker didn't budge because Stevens wanted to honor his commitment to Carolina.
So the Saints decided to outflank the Panthers by trading their 2021 sixth-round pick to the
Houston Texans for a seventh-rounder this year. They took Stevens with the 240th overall pick.
According to Payton, he sent one text to Brady that said, "Not so fast," and another to Stevens and Baker that said, "I'm tired of asking. Now, I'm taking."
"I said, 'Honestly, I was having some fun,'" Payton said. "'You had given your word and I respect that. But we weren't going to lose you. You were going to become a Saint.'"
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