On Sunday, Saints veteran quarterback Drew Brees announced on Instagram that he has decided to retire from the NFL after 20 seasons. To many, if not all football players and fans alike, Brees' news was inevitable -- every sign pointed toward the future Hall-of-Famer finally hanging up the cleats.
What did come as a surprise, however, was breaking news surrounding another Saints quarterback later in the night.
According to a report from ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, the Saints and dual-threat quarterback Taysom Hill agreed to a four-year, $140 million contract extension, in an effort to free up cap space this season. But don't be fooled by the substantial dollar values -- each year under this agreement is voidable, per Schefter.
Does this deal mean that Hill is officially Brees' successor in New Orleans? Not exactly. But Saints head coach Sean Payton will give Hill every opportunity to win the starting job, according to ESPN NFL reporter Diana Russini.
"Before Taysom signed that incredible contract with the Saints, he had a conversation with Sean Payton, basically saying like, 'This is what I want: I want to be a starter. I don't want to sign this deal and play all these different positions for you. I've put in the time, and now I want my time as the quarterback to begin,'" Russini told The DA Show on Monday. "And Payton told him he'd give him that opportunity. He didn't promise him the starting job. He just said, 'I'm going to give you every avenue I possibly can to see if you can win the job.'
"So, I would think it would be disappointing from Taysom's perspective [to not win the job]. I don't think from the Saints' perspective they'd be disappointed, just because I've always said, kind of tongue-in-cheek, if I could ever find anyone in my life who loves me as much as Sean Payton loves Taysom Hill, I'd be the happiest person..."
Hill, who started four games in Brees' absence, finished the 2020 season 88-for-121 with 928 passing yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also showcased his ability on the ground with 457 rushing yards and eight scores (plus one receiving).
THE FUSS ABOUT RUSS...
While the rumors continue to swirl around Russell Wilson and his future as quarterback of the Seahawks, Russini believes a trade still remains possible either this year or sometime down the road.
"Months ago, I would've said no way. And I heard little whispers just from people close to Russell that he just wasn't happy. But I just kind of assumed that. Everyone's always so unhappy after the season when they don't win," Russini told DA. "But then over the last month, I started to talk to people that were interested. And when they were sharing with me why they were interested and the conversations they had with Seattle, I was like, 'Wait, you're talking to Seattle? They're actually taking calls about this?'
"If you're taking calls -- which I will always think that's the sign of a good organization unless you're Green Bay or Kansas City -- you've got to listen. And it just seems like from Seattle's perspective, I think their biggest sticking point on this isn't so much parting ways with Wilson, it's, who's the quarterback there? Who's going to be there? And they certainly don't want to ship him off to an organization that can win..."
The entire interview with Russini and DA can be listened to below.
You can follow The DA Show on Twitter @DAonCBS and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.