The New Orleans Saints are investigating the possibility of remaining in the Dallas area for up to a month and opening their regular season against Green Bay in the Cowboys’ home stadium, Coach Sean Payton said.

While the Superdome appears to have been spared significant damage from Hurricane Ida, there are logistical challenges with staffing an NFL game there in the near future because of the widespread damage in the New Orleans area.

Many New Orleans residents have evacuated and officials have advised them not to return for at least another several days while roadways are cleared and widespread damage to power lines are repaired. Some neighborhoods are expected to be without power for weeks.

“There’s a chance that, if our stadium is not ready to host the Packers in Week 1, where might that game be?” Payton said Tuesday. “That game could very well be right here at AT&T Stadium. We’ve got enough fans in this area and Houston, certainly from northern Louisiana, that we think that would be something that’s very realistic.”

Payton said the Dallas area, where the Saints relocated on Saturday as Ida approached the Gulf Coast, also seems to make the most sense as a temporary practice base because multiple Division I college football programs there have offered help and because of conflicts or logistical challenges with other locations the club considered.

TCU, where Payton’s son, Connor, is a student, and SMU have reached out and “completely would love to be a part of helping us and hosting us,” Payton said.

Payton said the Saints are focused on making a four-week plan, “knowing we can always adjust if need be.”

“A lot of it will depend on, when is the city ready to receive people to come back? When’s the power back up?” Payton continued. “When are all the things up and running at least for people to return? And we don’t know the answer to that yet.”

CARDINALS: The Arizona Cardinals placed cornerback Malcolm Butler on the reserve/retired list on Tuesday, potentially signaling the end of his seven-year career.

NFL Network reported Monday that Butler was mulling retirement because of a “personal situation.” The 31-year-old Butler signed a $6 million, one-year deal with the Cardinals during the offseason and appeared in line to become one of the team’s starting cornerbacks.

Cardinals Coach Kliff Kingsbury didn’t say much about Butler’s absence on Tuesday, but acknowledged he hadn’t talked to the cornerback. He said Butler’s future “remains to be seen.”

A few hours later, Butler was placed on reserve/retired list, which opens up a spot on the roster for another player.

Butler is best known for one of the most stunning plays in Super Bowl history. As a rookie for the New England Patriots in 2014, he intercepted a pass from Seattle’s Russell Wilson at the goal line with 26 seconds left, securing the Patriots’ 28-24 win.

Butler was a Pro Bowl selection for the Patriots the following year and started four seasons for the franchise, helping New England win another Super Bowl after the 2016 season.

TEXANS: Quarterback Deshaun Watson remained on the active roster Tuesday as the Houston Texans made cuts to reduce their roster to 53 players.

Watson’s future with the team is in question after 22 women filed lawsuits alleging that he sexually assaulted or harassed them. Houston police and the NFL are investigating the allegations. Even before the accusations against Watson, he had been unhappy with the direction of the team and requested a trade earlier this year.

Watson, who led the NFL in passing yards last season, reported to camp to avoid being fined and participated in individual drills but never practiced with the team, watching as Tyrod Taylor ran the offense.

TRADES: The New York Jets traded tight end Chris Herndon to the Minnesota Vikings, a person with direct knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press.

Herndon was a fourth-round pick of the Jets in 2018 out of Miami. He had a promising rookie season, but never quite became the consistent playmaker New York was hoping for.

Terms of the deal were not immediately known, but it is believed the Jets will receive draft compensation from the Vikings.

• The Denver Broncos traded rising wide receiver Trinity Benson to the Detroit Lions, a person familiar with the deal said.

The source said Denver receives 2022 fifth- and seventh-round draft picks and the Lions also get Denver’s sixth-round selection in 2023. The person also confirmed the Broncos’ acquisition of linebacker and special teams standout Jonas Griffith from the 49ers along with a 2022 seventh-round pick in exchange for a sixth-round selection next year and a seventh-rounder in 2023.

• The New York Giants acquired offensive lineman Ben Bredeson from the Baltimore Ravens for a couple of draft picks.

New York said it shipped a 2022 fourth-round draft choice and received Bredeson, a 2022 fifth-round selection and a 2023 seventh-round choice.

Bredeson is entering his second NFL season. A fourth-round draft choice out of Michigan, he played in 10 games as a rookie, primarily on special teams. He also appeared as an extra lineman in some offensive packages for Baltimore.

Bredeson played in 51 games for the Wolverines with 46 starts at left guard. He was voted a team captain in each of his final two seasons.

The Giants have made five trades this month. They added cornerbacks Keion Crossen and Josh Jackson, offensive linemen Price and Bredeson, They shipped cornerback Isaac Yiadom to Green Bay in the Jackson deal and sent kicker Ryan Santoso to Carolina.

PACKERS: Green Bay won’t have David Bakhtiari for the start of the season as the All-Pro left tackle continues his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Bakhtiari’s agent, Mark Humenik, confirmed Tuesday that Bakhtiari will begin the season on the physically unable to perform list. The designation means Bakhtiari won’t be available for at least the first six weeks.

That leaves reigning MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers without the player who has protected his blind side for the last nine seasons. The Packers must adapt without one of the game’s top blockers.

BILLS: The Buffalo Bills’ proposed new $1.4 billion stadium would include about 60,000 seats and 60 suites, The Associated Press has learned.

The Bills’ proposal includes a timeline for construction with a completion date pegged for no later than 2027 based on how quickly a deal can be struck, a person with direct knowledge of the documents presented to state and county officials told the AP on condition of anonymity because the plan has not been made public.

The team’s current lease expires in July 2023 and would be extended until the new facility is opened, should the project be approved by the state of New York and Erie County.

HALL OF FAME: Art McNally, the man known as “The Father of Modern Officiating” has been picked as a contributor finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2022.

A panel of Hall of Fame selectors met virtually to select the contributor finalist for the upcoming class. If elected by the full selection committee in early 2022, McNally would be the first on-field official inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

McNally, 96, started in the NFL as a field judge in 1959 before becoming a referee in 1960 through 1967.

He became the NFL’s supervisor of officials in 1968, and he started the first program to train and evaluate football officials in pro sports. McNally wound up overseeing a department of five people directing 112 game officials and in charge of scouting, screening, hiring and grading crews working each NFL game.

McNally brought instant replay to the NFL in 1986 and is the man credited for bringing technology to officiating in the league.

He retired from the NFL in 1991 and was a consultant to the league through 1994. He became supervisor of officials for the World League of American Football in 1992. McNally returned to the NFL in 1995 as assistant supervisor of officials and stayed in that job through 2007. He kept working with officials as an observer for NFL games through 2015.