Saints head coach Sean Payton said last month that he expects another team to make quarterback Taysom Hill an offer as a restricted free agent this offseason.
Payton suggested that the team doing so would run the risk of giving up a first-round pick if the Saints didn’t match that offer and it appears that will indeed be the case. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the team is planning to tender Hill at the first-round level.
While that comes as no surprise, there is still the possibility that the Saints could sign Hill to a longer deal now. Hill has said he wants to be with a team that views him as a starting quarterback rather than the multiple roles he currently fills on the New Orleans offense, which is likely part of the reason why Payton believes his contract will be a tricky one to figure out.
The first-round tender is expected to come with a salary of more than $4.6 million for the 2020 season.