New Orleans Saints have made a decision at quarterback for Thursday

The New Orleans Saints are in desperate need of a jolt of energy if they want to resurrect their chances of making the playoffs this year. After starting quarterback Jameis Winston went down for the season with an ACL injury against his former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Saints have gone 0-4. That 0-4 fall from grace came while third-string quarterback Trevor Siemian was leading the offense. But according to ESPN’s Mike Triplett, Siemian’s time as the starter has come to an end.

The New Orleans Saints will start quarterback Taysom Hill this Thursday night against the Dallas Cowboys. Hill has been dealing with a plantar fasciitis injury recently, and he also missed time earlier in the season with a concussion he suffered against the Washington Football Team. So far on the year, the Saints 31-year-old multifaceted quarterback has been used more in his gadget role than as a true quarterback. But with him getting the chance to start in the Saints’ upcoming game against the Dallas Cowboys, it will give Hill the opportunity to earn some of the money from his newly signed $95 million contract with Orleans. 

In the five games he’s played in, Siemian has completed 57.2% of his passes with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. 

Hill gets a new contract with New Orleans

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the New Orleans Saints have given a fresh contract to utility player Taysom Hill. However, it’s a deal that is a bit confusing when looking at it.

Schefter says Hill will sign a “unique four-year, hybrid-type of contract extension” worth anywhere between $40 million and $95 million. How much money is earned is based on which position he plays for the Saints.

Something that is known is Hill’s guaranteed money, which will be at $22.5 million. Everything else will be determined if Hill is named the starting quarterback over the length of the contract.

In a follow-up tweet, Schefter says Hill will be paid “$40 million base salary for the role that he’s currently playing, and up to an additional $55 million if he does become the Saints’ starting QB for the next four seasons.” Quarterback Jameis Winston, who has been the starting quarterback when healthy, signed a one-year deal this offseason.

Co-Founder/Editor of Spotrac Michael Ginnitti cleared up how the contract benefits New Orleans from a dead cap perspective.

“Translation: The Saints didn’t want to take an automatic $8.9M dead cap hit when Hill’s current contract automatically voided, so they extend him to essentially two more years of his current pay to keep the active & dead cap spread out, while keeping a valuable player in tow,” Ginnitti said.

Hill has only appeared in seven games this season for the Saints. He’s only played 50% or more of the offensive snaps twice this season against the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. His role within special teams has dropped as well, only getting 27 total snaps.