The Saints resolved their kicking competition by trading Wil Lutz to the Broncos and sticking with Blake Grupe.
In the aftermath of the trade, Lutz’s agent expressed a gripe about the decision to keep Grupe.
Agent John Perla said this to Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette regarding the Saints’ decision to trade Lutz: “He didn’t lose his job. The Saints just made a poor decision. The better player is not the one who is left on the Saints’ roster, I’ll tell you that.”
It all works out for Lutz. He’s still employed, with his contract transferred to the Broncos. And he wins the job there without even having to compete for it.
The benefit is he knows Broncos coach Sean Payton. Lutz served as the kicker on the Saints for six years when Payton was the coach, from 2016 through 2021.