I wish he hadn't said that, he's rarely correct. But even the blind squirrel finds a nut once in a blue moon.
The tax benefit is a factor, not a driver, otherwise, you would see players in all sports prioritizing tax favorable states over non-tax favorable states. However, that doesn’t happen. Considering players get taxed where they play, that benefit is really only 50% what it is perceived to be.
IDK, I've been getting paid to not work the past year (and not til late 2021...and yes, I am very fortunate to be in this position) and I am definitely getting dumber by the second, if not the day.
TB is more desirable because they are a competitive team. They can pay their players 'less' but that's on the player to accept 'less' due to the tax implications.
Hall just seems to be playing the game. Like, going through the motions. He's made plenty of money and after stating the in media he wants to play playoff games, he then signs in BUF, where the playoffs are still a stretch. Certainly, COVID changed things up for the market...but if he really wanted to win, there's plenty of other teams that are much more competitive than BUF. But, he gets the Canadian 'can do no wrong in the media' benefit.
Could be that he is betting on being flipped to a contender to get those playoff games. Best of both worlds.
I don't think you see him signed till schedule comes out. Very likely there are a few things hinging on that, including training camp when you can start to use LTIR.
His priority is just to get paid and play. Even though by the time he gets traded to a contender 60-70% of his salary will be paid, there also needs to be competitive teams that have the cap space to absorb him - as we know now, that’s limited, doubtful it gets much better later on.
