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.
