Apparently, Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos didn't the memo that the New Orleans Saints were Travis Etienne's favorite team. When Etienne chose the Saints over Denver, the Broncos were left stunned.
Etienne was one of the top running backs on the market, and he probably had many suitors calling his agent once the legal tampering period began. Per The Athletic's Mike Sando, one of those teams were the Broncos. Not only were the Broncos in on Etienne, an unnamed executive told Sando they thought they were going to land the running back before he picked the Saints.
It sounds like negotiations were going well until the Saints swooped in and stole Etienne. Denver was forced to pivot to bringing back J.K. Dobbins. If they were in on Etienne, the Broncos have clearly identified running back as a bigger need than running it back with Dobbins. It certainly appears the Saints spoiled their former coach's plans.
Everything says Travis Etienne would pick the Broncos over the Saints other than the most important factor
On paper, everything screams to choose the Broncos over the Saints. Most importantly, the Broncos were a game away from the Super Bowl. You can even argue they were a Bo Nix injury away from being in the Super Bowl. Meanwhile, the Saints are hoping to compete for a divisional title. Tyler Shough has reinvigorated the fan base, but the team still has a ways to go. Super Bowl contender vs. ascending, rebuilding team seems easy.
In New Orleans, Etienne will have to share carries with Alvin Kamara. That's either a positive or negative depending on your view of it. His only competition in Denver would have been R.J. Harvey. The ceiling for individual success would have likely been higher in Denver. Additionally, Payton is a much more established coach than Kellen Moore. That often plays a part in recruiting free agents.
When you make decisions with your heart, however, all those factors tend to be less important. Coming home to Louisiana was definitely a decision made with Etienne's heart. He told reporter's, "whenever the Saints reached out, I don't think there was nothing that could have stopped me from coming here."
That goes for fit, coach and team trajectory. Etienne called joining the Saints a "no brainer." He's from Louisiana, and the Saints were his childhood team. While the Broncos may have had every other advantage on paper, playing for the Saints is a dream come true for Etienne. Payton may be persuasive, but even he couldn't compete with that.