New Orleans Saints’ Taysom Hill extension is entirely voidable
If you are anything like me and probably most other Saints fans, you had to take a double look at the four-year extension that the New Orleans Saints gave Taysom Hill this weekend in the wake of Drew Brees’ retirement announcement.
On the outside, the Saints signed the backup quarterback to a four-year, $140 million deal. That looks like Hill is set to make $35 million per year. For a playeer that may not even be the starting quarterback, that’d be outrageous.
However, don’t get anxious and worked up yet because I’m here to tell you the entire contract is voidable, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. In fact, it seems like it was just the Saints’ newest attempt at opening up more cap space for the 2021 season.
The Saints signed Taysom Hill to a massive contract that is entirely voidable; be careful not to get the two confused and overreact.
By signing Hill to an extension, they were able to open up almost $8 million in cap space this season. Virtually, the Saints could have chosen any number regardless of the outrageous $140 million chosen and it likely won’t all be paid out.
Saints are restructuring QB Taysom Hill’s contract to create cap room. Details are great: it’s a 4-year, $140 million contract extension - but all years are voidable and it’s a mechanism to free up cap space this year, per source. It saves Saints over $7.5M against cap this year.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2021
The supposed thinking behind the situation is that this deal gives the Saints the edge on Taysom Hill in both regards. Obviously, the team’s plan is to keep Hill and Winston on the team and have them battle it out for the starting spot next season.
If Winston proves to be the better quarterback, then the team can void all of Taysom Hill’s remaining years on his contract and try or not try to re-sign him to a smaller amount after the 2021 season has completed.
If Hill ends up proving to be the better quarterback, he will still end up with a new contract at the end of 2021, but the 2020 one will lay the groundwork for a long-term extension on Hill. Either way, the Saints are covered in keeping this asset on the team.
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Don’t be confused by the numbers, this contract was just an effort to move around money, but they still have the future in their mind. Hill will be on the team, but it definitely will NOT be for anywhere near the proposed $35 million per year.