In the minutes after the 2024 NFL draft concluded, Levelle Bailey spun through a carwash of emotions.
Disappointment that he didn’t see his name pop up on television as one of 257 picks.
But also excitement. Adrenaline. A sense of unknown.
In the rush of several teams calling and trying to convince him to sign with them as an undrafted free agent, one voice stuck out.
“Sean (Payton) called me the first time and was talking to me, and I was like, ‘OK,” Bailey told The Denver Post this week. “I was sitting next to my mom on the couch, and she knows about Sean Payton, New Orleans and everything.