Was the Saints' Front Office (e.g., Loomis) Fleeced on the Sean Payton Trade?

No doubt it's only an opinion, but ask yourself this:

If Loomis demands more from Denver, even if it means keeping our 3rd rd pick, do they say, "nah, we're good, we'll go with our second choice"? I highly doubt it but have no inside info.
Yeah, I don't know. If I'm sitting in the room as a Denver front office guy, I'm doing all I can to get Payton, but there's a clock and other options to consider as well. The longer we hold out, the less leverage the Saints retain. The reason I say that is if Payton stays retired another year, then he arguably becomes a free agent. There was a lot of debate on whether Payton could run the clock out, and I tend to think the Saints front office weren't gonna push on that.

They decided to take what they can get imo. I don't see what can be gained by delaying it longer.