As the Denver Broncos aim to build on last season's run to the playoffs, they've known such a pursuit wouldn't include every contributor from last season.
Wednesday saw one of those producers voted off the island when Denver traded receiver Devaughn Vele to New Orleans for a 2026 fourth-round pick and a 2027 seventh-round choice.
Given a day to process the move and prepare his remarks, head coach Sean Payton explained the combination of interest in Vele and a need to narrow down the Broncos' receiver room led to the deal.
"We weren’t actively shopping at all, but teams in need of receivers obviously do a good enough job, they look at the depth of certain teams," Payton said on Thursday. "So within 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. ... The next morning he and I sat down and said, ‘No, obviously we value this player.’ Then the following day it picked up, it became more serious.
"[He has] all the things that we look for: discipline, structure, smart, tough, talented. That’s why this one was difficult. Certainly New Orleans was looking. Just talking with (Saints general manager) Mickey (Loomis), they felt they were missing a bigger receiver. They knew we had a number of big receivers. It kind of went in the beginning of the week as just discussion. Then two teams really came back more than serious about this trade.
"There is a point at some point where you’re looking at the roster, you’re looking at your depth and towards the end it was something we felt was going to be best for the club. He was fantastic when we visited with him. He’s going to be a real good player for them."
A seventh-round pick out of Utah in 2024, Vele rose to prominence in his rookie season, catching 41 passes for 475 yards and three touchdowns in 13 games. He'd staked his claim to a productive spot in Denver's corps but found himself in a position battle after the Broncos added to the group in the offseason.
Denver spent a fourth-round pick on Oregon receiver Troy Franklin, Nix's former collegiate teammate, in 2024 and a third-round selection on Illinois' Pat Bryant in April, crowding a receiver room that was productive but could use an upgrade entering 2025. Payton spoke earlier this summer of the tough decisions he and the front office would have to make when trimming down the position, and Wednesday's deal represented one of those difficult choices.
“Certainly, all of that," Payton said when asked if the progression of the receiver room influenced the trade. "When you guys factor in where Troy is at, where Pat is at, where (receiver ’s at… We can keep six receivers; we’re probably only going to get five to the game.
"Look, he (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 [actives]? I said this a few weeks ago, I think we have a few players here that may end up playing for other teams and here’s one.”
Vele brings size to a Saints receiver room that certainly needs it. Even after acquiring Brandin Cooks in the offseason, New Orleans' top three receivers are all under 6-foot-1. Vele's 6-foot-5 frame will give whichever quarterback coach Kellen Moore chooses as his starter a big target to throw to this season.