The Saints’ season-ending loss to the Panthers will go down as a win for Andy Dalton after the veteran quarterback secured a major contract incentive on Sunday.
Dalton, who signed a one-year deal as a free agent in March, came into Week 18 needing to play just one series in order to earn a $1,000,000 bonus. As it turns out, Dalton would play the entire game, finishing 15-of-25 for 171 yards and a touchdown in a 10–7 New Orleans loss.
The performance officially met the requirement of two clauses in Dalton’s contract, which stated he would net $500,000 for playing 50% of the offensive snaps this season and another $500K for reaching the 60% mark. The 35-year-old entered Sunday having played 68.15% of the snaps on the year in what was his 14th start as a Saint.
After spending time with the Cowboys and Bears over the past two seasons, Dalton arrived in New Orleans looking to serve as a reliable backup behind incumbent starter Jameis Winston. Injuries to one of Winston’s ankles and his back sidelined the former No. 1 overall pick entering Week 4, thrusting Dalton into a starting role much sooner than anyone could’ve expected.
In his 14 games this season, Dalton posted a 6–8 record and completed 252 of his 378 pass attempts for 2,871 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. His total yardage marked his highest output since his last year with the Bengals in 2019, and his TD total was the most he’s had in a season since ’18.
As for the Saints, the 2022 campaign went down as a lost year in the club’s first season under coach Dennis Allen. New Orleans finished the year 7–10 and missed the postseason for a second consecutive season.
