Dec 23, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; General view of a New Orleans Saints helmet during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images

Saints Release Veteran WR

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Aug 21, 2025 7:00 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints have an exciting receiver coming to town, but the move came at the expense of a four-year National Football League veteran.

New Orleans made a somewhat surprising move on Wednesday night. The Saints and Denver Broncos came together on a trade that brought second-year receiver Devaughn Vele. The team officially announced the deal.

"New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced today that the club has agreed to acquire wide receiver Devaughn Vele (pronounced Deh-VAWN VAY-lay) from the Denver Broncos in exchange for future considerations," the Saints announced. " Vele, 6-5, 210, is a second-year NFL veteran who was originally selected in the seventh round (235th overall) of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Broncos out of the University of Utah.

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"As a rookie, the San Diego, Calif. native appeared in 13 regular season games with seven starts, recording 41 receptions for 475 yards (11.6 avg.) with three touchdowns. Vele appeared in 47 games with 28 starts in his five seasons with the Utes (2019-23), recording 123 catches for 1,689 yards (13.7 avg.) with nine touchdowns and returned 27 punts for 273 yards (10.1 avg.). In 2023, he played in ten games with nine starts, recording a team-high 43 receptions for 593 yards (13.8 avg.) with three touchdowns."

To make room on the roster, the Saints released veteran receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones, as shared on social media by NewOrleans.Football's Nick Underhill.

"The Saints released Donovan Peoples-Jones to make room for WR Devaughn Vele," Underhill said.

Peoples-Jones came over as a free agent this offseason. He spent the first three full seasons of his career with the Cleveland Browns and spent time with Cleveland and the Detroit Lions in 2023. He didn't appear in a game in 2024. His best season came in 2022 with the Browns when he had 61 catches, 839 receiving yards, and three touchdowns. Peoples-Jones is just 26 years old. It wouldn't be a shock to see another team quickly pick him up.

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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