What is Taysom Hill’s contract?

Adam Schefter announced on Sunday that the New Orleans Saints signed their back-up quarterback Taysom Hill to a new deal. When looking at the amount of the contract it makes fans scratch their heads. There's interesting information that comes along with the contract that the New Orleans Saints gave Taysom Hill.

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NFL: Taysom hill signs 4-year, $140 million contract extension with Saints

New Orleans Saints QB Taysom Hill

When looking at the New Orleans Saints salary cap and the extension that Taysom Hill just signed, one question comes to mind: How did the Saints make this work? The contract is four-years, $140 million, but all of the four years are voidable.

Funny to think two QBs in NFL history have signed a 4-year, $140M extension: Russell Wilson and Taysom Hill (voidable deal, of course).

— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 14, 2021

With all four year deals being voidable, the New Orleans Saints will not hold a dead cap if they decide to release or trade Taysom Hill. This deal saved the New Orleans Saints $7.749 million in cap space for 2021. Let's take a look at how Taysom Hill's contract breaks down.

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NFL: How Taysom Hill's extension saves the Saints cap space

Atlanta Falcons v New Orleans Saints

Taysom Hill's contract breaks down to a four-year deal but, with all four years being voidable. It ultimately means he is on a one-year deal with the Saints. When looking at the math on how the Saints saved money, Hill was holding a cap hit of $16.159 million, that is now knocked down to $8.41 million. This $7.749 million cap hit will go to the 2022 season unless Taysom Hill signs a new extension.

Don’t let the “new contract” for Taysom Hill let us forget the reason they needed to redo his deal is because he counted 16M against the cap. He was one of their most expensive players. 😂

— Geoff Schwartz (@geoffschwartz) March 14, 2021

NFL fans were tricked into thinking that Taysom Hill signed a four-year, $140 million extension. The contract could've been for 15-years, $100 trillion, and it will still sit as a one-year deal. New Orleans used this to stretch out Taysom Hill's current salary cap hit and ease up some of the pain that has been held on the Saints cap this off-season.

This contract is almost like a performance based deal. If Taysom Hill performs well enough, the Saints will work towards a better extension. Let's say Taysom Hill declines over the next two seasons, he will then be released and the Saints will be free of any salary cap problems.

What this contract tells us is that the Saints do see a future with Taysom Hill as long as he holds up his end of the deal. Taysom Hill wanted the contract this way because he wanted to prove himself. With Drew Brees officially retiring, it's now time for Taysom Hill to step in and separate himself from Jameis Winston and become the starting quarterback for the Saints.