The New Orleans Saints waived cornerback Rico Payton as a part of finalizing their 53 man roster for the upcoming 2025 NFL season. The team had intentions of resigning him to their practice squad, but he was instantly claimed off of waivers by the New York Giants.
Every year organizations are responsible for the difficult task of cutting players, and every year you have players you hope you can get back on the practice squad to continue their development. That won't be the case for Payton
This move left many fans shocked and disappointed. Payton becomes the second cornerback that the Saints have lost out on to the New York Giants this offseason, as they were outbid by earlier in March for Paulson Adeebo.
Rico Payton felt like a sure thing for the Saints practice squad
I know it may sound crazy to be disappointed about not losing a player you just cut, but that's the thing about expectations. They kind of set you up for failure, and that's exactly what happened with Payton. There was an expectation he would slide under the radar through waivers and land on the practice squad.
Payton signed with the Saints in 2024 as an undrafted free agent out of Pittsburgh State, after having a strong preseason. He appeared in 16 games and mainly contributed on the special teams. He dealt with an injury this preseason. That opened the door for Rejzohn Wright, and Wright ran through the door.
Wright had a really strong preseason finale, where he led the team in tackles and had an impressive pass deflection that displayed his length. Wright's biggest play of the preseason came as he deflected the pass that led to Jonas Sanker's dramatic interception at the end of the Jaguars game.
The final spot in the cornerback room likely came down to Wright versus Payton. Clearly we know who the Saints went with. It wouldn't have been surprising, however, to see Payton get called up on gameday occasionally. That and his developmental potential are the biggest reasons many Saints fans were disappointed to see Payton get claimed off waivers.