Drew Brees has officially announced his retirement, but that is not the news that elicited the biggest reaction from New Orleans Saints fans on Sunday.
Almost immediately after Brees delivered his outstanding and unique retirement announcement, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Saints have agreed to a massive four-year extension with Taysom Hill. The deal is worth $140 million over four years and makes Hill one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in NFL history. Of course, Hill may never see a dime of it.
As Schefter explained, every year of Hill’s contract extension is voidable. The deal was purely a means for New Orleans to create more salary cap space. Here are the only details that matter for Hill’s wallet:
Taysom Hill’s contract numbers this year include a $9.686 million signing bonus, a $1.439 million guaranteed roster bonus and a $1.034 million guaranteed base salary, plus incentives, per source. https://t.co/Ooy7akgPlv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 14, 2021
The Saints entered the offseason more than $50 million over the salary cap, so they have been doing everything they can to clear space. While head coach Sean Payton loves Hill, it sounds like another player could be the team’s starting QB now that Brees is gone.
Saints and NFL fans can relax — Taysom Hill is not actually a $140 million man.
