The Saints and Taysom Hill worked out a contract that will pay him based on which position he plays. And while the magic number that becomes relevant to the quarterback vs. non-quarterback analysis is 224 annual pass attempts, there’s a lot more to it than that.
We’ve gotten our eyes on the convolution Taysom Hill hybrid contract. He’s a full breakdown of its terms.
Hill was due to make $402,111 over the balance of the 2021 season, the final year of his prior deal. He’ll now make $40.402 million through 2025.
There’s no signing bonus. Instead, his $10.1 million compensation package for 2022 is fully guaranteed within five days after signing. His $9.9 million salary for 2023 becomes fully-guaranteed in March 2022. In March 2024, $1.5 million of his $10 million salary in 2024 becomes fully guaranteed. His $10 million salary in 2025 is non-guaranteed.
So he makes $10 million per year for four years, with as a practical matter the next two years, at $20 million total guaranteed at signing. (To avoid owing him $20 million, they’d have to cut him before March 2022, owing him $10.1 million for the balance of the 2021 season.)
That part of the deal is simple. The rest of it is not.
The contract contains three separate packages that can trigger more money for Hill. There are 2021 incentives of up to $1 million, $36 million in salary escalators from 2023 through 2025, and $18 million in incentives for 2022 through 2025.
For 2021, he gets $150,000 if he participates in 70 percent of the offensive plays and if the team wins 11 or more games. He gets $150,000 for 3,250 passing yards. He gets $150,000 for having a passer rating or more of 90, with at least 224 attempts. He gets $150,000 for 25 passing touchdowns. He gets $150,000 for a 65-percent completion percentage, based on at least 224 attempts. He gets $150,000 for 600 rushing yards, he gets $450,000 if he participates in at least 50 percent of the offensive plays in the postseason and plays in the Super Bowl, and he gets $250,000 for being named the offensive player of the year or the MVP.
Suffice it to say that he’s not nearly on pace to satisfy any of those thresholds for 2021.
His salary for 2023 through 2025 can increase by up to $12 million per year ($36 million total) through a series of escalators. To qualify for any of them in 2023 through 2025, however, he must throw 224 regular-season passes the prior year, 2022, 2023, or 2024.
If he participates in 70 percent of the offensive plays and the team wins 11 regular-season games in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets a $750,000 escalator the next year. If he participates in 70 percent of the offensive plays and the team wins 12 regular-season games in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets another $1 million escalator the next year. If he participates in 70 percent of the offensive plays and the team wins 13 regular-season games in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets another $1.25 million escalator the next year. (That’s a total of $2 million in extra salary available for 2023 through 2025 based on reaching those levels in 2022, 2023, and/or 2024.)
For each postseason win (including 50-percent playing time) from 2022 through 2024, with a maximum of four each year, he gets an escalator the next year of $50,000. If the club finishes 10th or better in points scored in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets a $1 million escalator the next year. If the club finishes 10th or better in total offense in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets a $1 million escalator the next year.
If he participates in 50 percent of the offensive plays and throws for at least 10 yards (with at least 10 attempts) in the conference championship in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets an escalator of $750,000 the following year. If he reaches those same factors and they win the conference championship, he gets another $750,000 escalator.
If he participates in 50 percent of the offensive plays and throws for at least 10 yards (with at least 10 attempts) in the Super Bowl in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets an escalator of $1 million the following year. If he reaches those same factors and they win the Super Bowl, he gets another $1.5 million escalator.
For six rushing touchdowns in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets a $250,000 escalator the following year. For eight rushing touchdowns in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets a $250,000 escalator the following year. For ten rushing touchdowns in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets a $500,000 escalator the following year.
For 600 rushing yards in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets a $500,000 escalator the following year. For making the Pro Bowl in 2022, 2023, or 2024, he gets a $500,000 escalator the following year.
Again, every one of those salary escalators for 2023 through 2025 depend on Hill throwing at least 224 passes in the prior regular season.
The incentives for 2022 through 2025 are determined as follows, each year: $500,000 for 3,250 passing yards; $500,000 for 4,000 passing yards; $500,000 for a passer rating of 90 or higher, with at least 224 attempts; $750,000 for 25 passing touchdowns; $1.25 million for 30 passing touchdowns; and $1 million for a 65-percent completion percentage, with at least 224 attempts.
With all incentives and escalators, he can make another $1 million this year (he’ll make none), another $4.5 million in 2022, another $16.5 million in 2023, another $16.5 million in 2024, and another $16.5 million in 2025.
To get it all, the Saints will have to win the Super Bowl in 2022, 2023, and 2024. To get any, he’ll have to be a full-time quarterback, who throws on average 13 passes per game.
This year, he has thrown eight total passes.
So it’s a two-year, $20 million bird in the hand, with a chance of many more birds in the bush. To get those birds, he’ll have to become the full-time quarterback, and he’ll have to fulfill those responsibilities at a fairly high level.
