The New Orleans Saints issued a first-round restricted free agent tender to QB Taysom Hill, and the NFL deadline might make him sign it.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill still hasn’t signed the restricted free agent tender the team issued to him back in March, but a critical deadline could spur him (or any interested teams) into action.
The NFL’s deadline for restricted free agents to sign an offer sheet with another team is set to pass at the close of business on Friday, April 17, around 3 p.m. CT. If Hill doesn’t sign his tender, he won’t play for anyone in 2020. But he’s fully expected to do so and suit up for the Saints.
Valued at $4.641 million (all counting against the 2020 salary cap), Hill’s tender would keep him in New Orleans for another year before he could test unrestricted free agency in 2021. If another team signs him to an offer sheet before Friday’s deadline, however, the Saints will have the choice to match it, or let him walk away — recouping a first-round draft pick in the process.
However, all’s been quiet on Hill since the Saints first formally deployed that tender. There have been no rumors of other teams considering whether to make a move for him, which makes sense considering the price they would have to pay in draft capital and his unproven NFL odds.
Hill played more snaps on special teams than offense last season and turns 30 in August. Any teams interested in his services would probably prefer to draft a younger prospect with more room to develop. So while things could change in a hurry, for now it looks like Saints coach Sean Payton will get his wish, and give Hill a real shot to succeed Drew Brees.
The Detroit Lions have tendered exclusive right free agent Mike Ford and elected not to offer restricted free agent contracts to J.D. McKissic and Jamie Meder making them unrestricted free agents.
The Detroit Lions have tendered exclusive right free agent corner Mike Ford and elected not to offer restricted free agent contracts to running back J.D. McKissic and defensive lineman Jamie Meder, making them unrestricted free agents.
In addition to Ford, it was already announced that the Lions were also picking up the tender on corner/gunner Dee Virgin, who was also an exclusive rights free agent.
Both Ford and Virgin played key roles on special teams, rotating with undrafted rookie safety C.J. Moore as the primary gunners on special teams. Ford also held down a key reserve role at cornerback and stepped up when his number was called against the Chiefs.
As a tendered exclusive right free agents, Ford and Virgin can only accept a new contract from the Lions, unless the team chooses to release them. And because the Lions hold all the leverage in this negotiation, they will likely only offer them a league minimum contract with no guaranteed money.
The Lions claimed McKissic off of waivers on cut day last September and he played an important role on offense as a change-of-pace/gadget back. The Lions are interested in bringing him back but not at the restricted free agent tender level, which was roughly $2.1 million.
Meder was a late-season addition to an injury-depleted roster and he isn’t expected back at this time.
The dust has settled on the sprint to the start of the new league year, and the New Orleans Saints were the only team in the NFL to activate a first-round restricted free agent tender — and they issued it to backup quarterback Taysom Hill.
While a few other teams around the league did use second-round tenders, the majority of qualifying players received original round-level tenders or nothing at all. That was the case for the other Saints restricted free agents, with offensive lineman Cameron Tom, wide receiver Austin Carr, and cornerback Justin Hardee each testing the open market (long snapper Zach Wood agreed to a four-year contract extension).
As for their exclusive-rights free agents: only All-Pro special teams ace J.T. Gray was tendered, with both linebacker Colton Jumper and wide receiver Keith Kirkwood allowed to look for other offers. The decision to let Kirkwood go is disappointing given the hype he earned in training camp last summer, but a yearlong hamstring injury kept him off the field for much of the 2019 season.
That said, Kirkwood’s chances of turning it around aren’t over just yet. NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reports that Kirkwood could re-sign with the Saints, just not at the rate his exclusive-rights tender would have qualified for.
The New Orleans Saints completed an expected move by issuing a first-round restricted free agent tender to backup quarterback Taysom Hill.
The New Orleans Saints formally placed a first-round tender on restricted free agent quarterback Taysom Hill on Wednesday, as reported by Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last week that this move was coming, but now it’s official. But what does it mean?
Hill is now expected to play the 2020 season on a one-year, fully-guaranteed contract valued at around $4.641 million, per Over The Cap. While the Saints will have the ability to sign him to a contract extension at any time, he will otherwise become an unrestricted free agent in March 2021.
Additionally, other NFL teams can now sign Hill to an offer sheet, which the Saints can opt to match dollar for dollar — but if they choose not to, the team signing Hill away from New Orleans forfeits a first-round draft pick. We previously identified a few teams that could make that kind of gamble, with some (Jon Gruden’s Las Vegas Raiders, who own a pair of first rounders and are dissatisfied with easy-to-cut franchise QB Derek Carr) more plausible to take the plunge than others.
So while Hill is all set up for another year of throwing, catching, and rumbling ahead for touchdown scores (or making key blocks for his teammates), things are very much changing between him and the Saints. If he’s going to spend more time practicing as a traditional quarterback, we might see less of Hill on special teams, which is a shame given the highlight reel he’s built in that area of the game.
And as we just pointed out, there’s a possibility he ends up playing somewhere else in 2020. But while we’re speculating about his potential fits around the league, isn’t it interesting that the Raiders could host the Saints to open their new home at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas?
What is a restricted free agent in the NFL and how do tenders work?
The start of the new league year and NFL free agency is just over a week away, so teams will soon begin placing tenders on restricted free agents. What exactly does that mean?
In the NFL, a restricted free agent (RFA) is a player with three accrued seasons (playing in at least six games a year) who has an expiring contract. Teams have several options with RFAs.
The first option is to not tender them, allowing them to become an unrestricted free agent. The Broncos are not expected to tender cornerback De’Vante Bausby this offseason (he is one of the team’s six RFAs).
The other option is to use a one-year tender with either a first-, second- or original-round designation. The original-round tender is worth exactly what it sounds like — the round that the players was originally drafted in.
A player with a tender tag can negotiate with other teams but his original team has the right to match any offer he receives from another team.
If the original team chooses not to match a contract offer from another team, the team signing the player must trade their corresponding draft pick (either a first-, second- or original-round pick) to the original team.
For example, if Denver places a second-round tender on nose tackle Mike Purcell and he signs an offer sheet with the Cowboys, the Broncos would have the option to either (a) match that offer or (b) acquire Dallas’ second-round draft pick in exchange for losing Purcell.
This year, first-round tenders are expected to be worth $4,667,000, according to OverTheCap.com. Second-round tenders are expected to be worth $3,278,000 and original-round tenders are expected to be worth $2,144,000.
If Denver uses a second-round tender on Purcell and he receives no other offers from other teams, the Broncos will owe him $4.667 million in 2020. To view Denver’s complete list of RFAs, click here.
Dallas is preparing for the start of the league year by making a decision on a guy who should be a key part of the offense moving forward.
While there may not be a definitive answer on whether or not the Dallas Cowboys are going to bring back veteran TE Jason Witten, it appears they are serious about investing in his understudy from 2019. Blake Jarwin was supposed to be the key figure in the club’s rotation at the position when Witten came out of retirement, but the Jason Garrett-favorite bullied his way into a much higher snap count than anticipated.
On a play-by-play basis, though, Jarwin was a much bigger offensive threat in 2019, averaging almost 3.5 yards per reception more than the future Hall of Famer. With a new coaching regime in house, Jarwin supporters hope he will get a chance to shine more as a passing-game weapon and it appears the front office will work towards that goal. The most important of the team’s three restricted free agents (RFA), ESPN’s Todd Archer is reporting Jarwin will be given a second-round tender.
The Cowboys are likely to use the second-round tender on restricted free agent tight end Blake Jarwin, which should cost around $3.3 million, according to sources. The Cowboys spoke with Jarwin’s agent, Kelli Masters, last week at the combine about a… https://t.co/fuNVrW6RvN
As Archer reports, the $3.3 million is the tender amount Jarwin will be paid if no other team signs him to an offer sheet. RFAs can negotiate deals with any of the other 31 clubs. If they come to an agreement, the original club has the right of first refusal. Based on which of the three tender amounts (original round, second round and first round), the original team will be awarded the signing team’s pick for that round in the upcoming draft if they refuse to match the offer.
As an undrafted free agent, the Cowboys would receive no compensation if they placed the cheaper ($2.1million), original round tender on Jarwin. The first-round tender would pay Jarwin almost $4.7 million in 2020, a high sum for a player who established career highs of 31 receptions and 365 yards in 2019.
Therefore the only real choice was the second-round tender.
Jarwin is a better receiver than blocker, but was often cast in the latter role due to Witten’s presence in 2019. Under Mike McCarthy, it remains to be seen how big of a priority the tight end position will be moving forward. During his decade-plus stint in Green Bay, there were several iterations where the position was important, but over the last five-to-six campaigns it was less so.
Dallas could still look to sign another free agent, or draft a player at the position to augment Jarwin and potentially look towards the future, though Archer reports the club did start working on a potential long-term deal with Jarwin during last week’s combine. The club also has Dalton Schultz, a fourth-round pick from 2018 at the position.
The New Orleans Saints will evaluate all pending free agents, including Minnesota Vikings fullback C.J. Ham, a restricted free agent.
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The New Orleans Saints are going to be on the hunt for upgrades when NFL free agency begins in just a few weeks, searching all throughout the league for players who can help them remain in Super Bowl contention. That means evaluating every possible addition — including players from the conference-rival Minnesota Vikings, who have dealt the Saints painful playoffs exits in two of the last three years. Here’s who may be available:
CB Trae Waynes
CB Mackensie Alexander
CB Marcus Sherels
DE Everson Griffen
DE Stephen Weatherly
FB C.J. Ham (RFA)
K Dan Bailey
LB Kentrell Brothers
LB Eric Wilson (RFA)
OC Brett Jones
OG Rashod Hill
OT Dakota Dozier
P Britton Colquitt
QB Sean Mannion
RB Ameer Abdullah
SS Jayron Kearse
SS Anthony Harris
SS Andrew Sendejo
WR Laquon Treadwell
The number-one target on this list should be Ham, which is difficult because he’s a restricted free agent. Hypothetically speaking, the Vikings can match any contract offers Ham receives, or even ward off suitors with a second- or first-round tender. But if they go with the lowest level option (Minnesota is, for once, working close to the salary cap), the Saints should be all in on Ham. He was one of two fullbacks to play more often than Zach Line (who retired) last year, along with San Francisco 49ers chess-piece Kyle Jusczyk. Line was also once a Vikings standout before the Saints bagged him, and they would do well to pursue Ham if he’s available.
He’s not someone they should sign, but the Saints should closely monitor the interest and contract offers that Anthony Harris gets in free agency. He was one of the few free safeties to intercept more passes (6) than Marcus Williams (4) last season and is projected to earn $13.8 million per year on his next contract. That should set the market for Williams, whose contract expires after the 2020 season.
But let’s circle back to players the Saints should have an interest in signing. They need bodies at cornerback, and both Trae Waynes and Mackensie Alexander offer starter’s experience at an easier-to-justify rates than Patrick Robinson’s $6.25 million cap hit. Alexander and Waynes are each projected to reel in $8.4 million per year, which could make them attractive options if Robinson is cut (or if negotiations fall apart with Janoris Jenkins over his $11.25 million cap hit, despite him clearly being the best prospect of the bunch).
New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton acknowledged that it would be difficult, but his team could sign a contract extension with Taysom Hill.
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The New Orleans Saints are set to begin contract negotiations with franchise quarterback Drew Brees, who announced he intends to play in 2020 after taking a month away from football to mull over his future. That creates serious implications for backup passers Teddy Bridgewater (who won’t lack for suitors on the open market) and Taysom Hill, whose upside on special teams and pass-catching ability could draw offers as a restricted free agent. The Saints have their work cut out for them in trying to keep their quarterbacks room intact, and it’s clearly on Sean Payton’s mind.
Payton appeared on WWL Radio with Bobby Hebert and Kristian Garic earlier this week, with the Saints head coach discussing a range of topics including Hill’s complicated free agency. The best bet for the 29-year-old to return in 2020 would be on a restricted free agent tender, but Payton acknowledged that there’s other ways for the Saints to retain him.
“Well, there are two [ways] to go about it,” Payton said. “Number one, we can sign him to a deal before the league year starts and you never get to that point [of applying a tender]. I think if he was unsigned prior to the league year, I’d anticipate us really paying close attention to that and looking at that first round tender.”
As Payton noted, there are multiple tenders available. We’ve broken them down in greater detail before, but the gist of it is that the highest-level tender would guarantee the Saints a first-round pick in compensation should Hill leave for another team. And it’s probably more likely that the Saints will tender Hill than sign him to a long-term contract extension, but Payton still added that an agreement might be worked out.
Payton continued, “Now I think it will take some time relative to his contract because it’s unique, A, in what he’s doing now and [B] what we feel like he can be and what he can do when Drew does retire, so that will probably take a little bit more work than the contract that Mickey does with Drew.”
It might be difficult for the Saints to agree with Hill’s agent on exact contract figures. Hill is adamant that he’s a franchise quarterback, and Payton has agreed with that take in media appearances, but his actions tell a different story. 54% of Hill’s snaps last season came on special teams. As much as Payton may talk up Hill’s comparisons to Steve Young, Young was never asked to sprint downfield in punt coverage or line up in a three-point stance and block with his throwing shoulder. Hill’s unique usage is definitely going to factor into contract talks, meaning a restricted free agent tender is the likely path forward.
It’s time for the New Orleans Saints to make contract decisions on restricted free agents like Taysom Hill, Justin Hardee, and Austin Carr.
Many New Orleans Saints players are set to enter unrestricted free agency, giving them the opportunity to negotiate with new teams and potentially land a big payday. However, five of their teammates are going into March’s signing period with restricted free agency status. Here’s what that means.
Restricted free agents can negotiate with other teams, but their current squad can claim the right of first refusal through exercising one of several different one-year contract tenders. But the ability to match contract offers comes with a price.
The latest projections from Over The Cap suggest tender values in the range of $4,667,000 (for first-round pick compensation) to $3,278,000 (second-round pick compensation), and $2,144,000 (for original-round draft pick compensation). Those totals are fully-guaranteed against the salary cap.
New Orleans doesn’t have a good history with restricted free agency. They have only used the lowest tender level in recent memory, and rarely matched opposing contract offers. They let wide receiver Willie Snead leave uncontested when the Baltimore Ravens signed him to a two-year, $7 million deal in 2018. Backup tight end Josh Hill signed a three-year, $7.5 million offer sheet with the Chicago Bears in 2016, but the Saints matched it and extended him again in 2018.
They didn’t even tender defensive tackle Tyrunn Walker back in 2015, despite it only costing about $1.54 million at the time and Walker having shown some rare bright spots in a historically-bad defense (the Detroit Lions signed him to a one-year, $1.75 million deal, and re-upped him the next season). He’s an example of a player the Saints hoped they could keep on a veteran’s minimum salary, which is obviously a riskier option.
But things are projecting differently in 2020. There’s a good chance the Saints exercise one of the more-valuable tender options; in fact, they may have to. They could also work out long-term contract extensions if they so choose; Saints kicker Wil Lutz did just that last year, when he was a restricted free agent. Here are the five Saints players that qualify, and what the team should do with each of them.
Justin Hardee, cornerback
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Hardee’s had an interesting career path, and now he’s one of the Saints’ central special teams aces. He plays often on the punt and kickoff units, and led the team in snaps played in the game’s third phase (362) last season, outpacing even Craig Robertson (324) and Taysom Hill (286). He’s someone the Saints coaches have invested years of development in, and should definitely try to keep around for the future.
The question they have to ask now is how much Hardee’s contributions are worth. He doesn’t play defense (just 37 snaps logged last season) and is still learning the position’s finer points after entering the NFL as a wide receiver. He can’t be counted on just yet to be a top backup behind Marshon Lattimore and Janoris Jenkins. But his presence on special teams speaks for itself, and the Saints might do well to sign him to the lowest contract tender, then wait and see whether the market can set a price on his long-term contract value.
