Saints Haven't Discussed Malcolm Butler Trade in 'Quite Some Time,' Says GM

New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said Wednesday his front office isn't engaged in active trade discussions about New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler.

Mike Triplett of ESPN.com passed along comments from Loomis, who stated the Saints "haven't really had any discussion for quite some time" about Butler. He didn't rule out the team circling back to consider the option again, though.

"I don't know that yet," Loomis said. "Look, he's their player. So we'll see how that evolves."

Butler was originally linked to New Orleans as part of a potential blockbuster deal involving former Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks. The Patriots acquired the offensive weapon in March in a trade that featured draft picks rather than the defensive back, though.

The 27-year-old corner wasn't eligible to get traded at the time because he was a restricted free agent who hadn't signed his contract tender. ESPN's Field Yates reported last week the tender was signed ahead of the April 21 deadline, but a trade was "still on the table."

Michael Giardi of CSN New England noted Butler had "no intention" of joining the Pats' offseason workouts despite signing the one-year tender.

Meanwhile, Peter King of The MMQB pointed out the Saints were "leaning toward" keeping all three of their picks inside the top 50 rather than include one in a deal for the cornerback.

The Patriots' secondary would be bolstered by keeping Butler to pair with free-agent acquisition Stephon Gilmore as the starting corners. Keeping him would also put the team at risk of losing him for nothing as an unrestricted free agent next offseason, though.

On the flip side, New Orleans still needs help at cornerback after ranking last in the NFL in passing yards allowed last season. So the basis for a trade is still there between the sides, but it doesn't sound like anything is imminent with the draft set to kick off Thursday night.