PHOENIX -- New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday morning that his club won't sign restricted free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler to an offer sheet, but he described the Saints' interest as "ongoing" and said the process might "take a bit of time."
Butler, the New England Patriots hero from Super Bowl XLIX, visited with the Saints earlier this month. The Patriots have tendered him at the first-round level, for $3.91 million, but Butler hasn't signed the tender.
If another team signs Butler to an offer sheet and the Patriots don't match it, that team would surrender its first-round pick to New England.
"I don't think we're going to do that and give up the 11th pick. In fact, I know we're not going to do that," Payton said at the NFL's annual meeting. "So it is what it is right now."
The deadline for teams to sign restricted free agents to an offer sheet is April 21. After that point, the only way Butler could land with another team is by signing the tender and then being traded.
Payton called any of that talk "speculation" and characterized the team's visit with Butler as "exploratory," but he also didn't close the door on future interest in Butler.
"It's ongoing, if you will. Obviously, you can't have any discussions with New England because New England hasn't signed the player. So for us, it was a chance to meet him, put him on the board, find out how much football he knows," Payton said, also pointing out that Butler is from nearby Mississippi. "I think it was a good step."
Asked if the Saints would like to sign Butler if circumstances changed, Payton said, "Listen, he's a guy that we thought enough of in this process. We'll see, though."
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