Taysom Hill is one of the most dynamic players in the history of the NFL. Whether he is passing, catching, receiving, blocking punts, or returning kickoffs, Taysom Hill has been one of the most interesting players ever to play in the league.
The issue is that Taysom Hill has been very under-utilized ever since Sean Payton left the Saints back in 2021. Yes, Taysom has still been a part of the offense, but his snaps at QB and other positions have dropped signficantly since Payton left.
Now entering the final two years of his $10 million per year (unguaranteed) contract, and with a new offensive staff for the Saints coming in, it could be the perfect time for a reunion between Payton and Hill, this time in Denver, just the kind of place that is looking for an offensive spark.
Payton Has Always Believed in Taysom Hill
Coming out of BYU, Taysom Hill was known as a great dual-threat quarterback who couldn’t stay healthy. In his five seasons with the Cougars, he had season-ending injuries in four of them. However, each injury was very odd and unique; in other words, he wasn’t necessarily injury-prone; he just had untimely injuries.
That wasn’t enough for NFL scouts, and Hill went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft. Eventually, the Packers picked him up and he was buried on the depth chart. That all changed in the 2017 NFL preseason games when Taysom was given essentially fourth-string reps and absolutely showed out.
Despite playing phenomenally in the preseason, the Packers cut Taysom, but he was quickly picked up by the Saints. But Sean Payton saw something in Taysom that went much further than just a backup quarterback fro Drew Brees. He saw a Swiss Army Knife.
For the next few seasons, Taysom returned kickoffs, blocked punts, caught passes, and took snaps at quarterback, helping the Saints not only become one of the most successful teams in the NFL in the win/loss column but also one of the most talked about non-QB players in the league.
Including his time the last two seasons under Dennis Allen, Hill has accounted for these stats for his career:
- 2,159 Rush Yards
- 757 Receiving Yards
- 2,348 Pass Yards
- 27 Rushing Touchdowns
- 11 Passing Touchdowns
- 11 Receiving Touchdowns
- 16 Tackles
- 19 Kickoff Returns
- Blocked Punt
Denver Looking For an Offensive Spark
Last season, Sean Payton and the Denver Broncos struggled on offense, ranking 26th in the league in yards per game and 20th in points per game. Part of the reason was that Russell Wilson appears to not be the same dynamic player that he was in Seattle. There are questions on whether the Broncos will even retain him or let him go following the NFL Draft.
Enter Taysom Hill.
Just by having Taysom on the team, NFL teams have to spend time scouting and preparing to defend him. If not, Taysom can easily go off and have a game such as he did in 2022 when he went for 112 yards rushing, three rushing touchdowns, and a 22 yard touchdown pass.
Taysom playing for the Broncos just makes sense. He’d be playing for the coach who gave him his first chance. It would bring much-needed energy to the team, and in a way, it could replace the running threat that Russell Wilson used to be.
Contract Negotiations
The big question with these kinds of potential trades always comes down to contracts. Taysom has two years remaining on his $10/year non-guaranteed deal, but there are a few options. Rather than explain them all, here is what Denver Sports wrote about it.
“If Hill’s released outright, the Broncos could bid for him on the open market. They could also try to work a trade, restructuring Hill’s contract to make the money work. The salary cap isn’t going to be Denver’s friend this offseason with the impending release of QB Russell Wilson, but we’ve seen Payton execute cap magic before.”
Taysom very likely wouldn’t be coming in to replace Wilson, but it isn’t crazy to believe that the Broncos may pick up late first-round QB like JJ McCarthey or Bo Nix. Now with Hill as a mentor and tough spot QB (3rd and short, goalline, etc..), it could take off some of the pressure of a new QB in the system. Going this route would also allow Taysom Hill to be paid the same, or close to his current contract.
Even if the Broncos go get an experienced veteran quarterback, at this point in his career, it isn’t crazy to think that Taysom may be content with settling for a smaller contract if it means playing in the offense that he wants. With probably plenty of money in the bank already, it may be in his best interest to get as much playing time as possible now before Father Time catches up to him in the next few years.
Conclusion
Taysom Hill is a unique player who may end up in the Hall of Fame for being the most dynamic NFL player, at least since the modern era. It feels like his future in New Orleans is coming to an end, and there may not be a ton of teams willing to invest in a Taysom with his age and unique playing style that takes away snaps from the starting QB. Some fan bases and teams aren’t willing to do that.
But we all know Sean Payton and Denver would be.
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1 Comment
Thanks for reading the article, really appreciate it! While Taysom has been lined up in more sets as a TE under Dennis Allen, his production and opportunity has gone significantly down. With Sean Payton, when Hill was in the game, he was normally getting the ball. Now as TE he may get one in every ten targets.