The New Orleans Saints are on a bye in Week 8, and it comes at a key time.
The Saints are 2-5, and if they have any hopes of rebounding into better position as the season goes along, they’ll need to maximize their recharging, as well as simply get a little more healthy in the week off — including rookie first-round WR Jordyn Tyson.
But the season is definitely hanging on the brink for the Saints. There’s certainly a chance this whole thing just gets away from them.
And while that may at first glance not seem like it has much to do with Taysom Hill, it probably does, at least a little bit.
Hill put together nine special seasons with the Saints. He’s put together a combination of passing, rushing and receiving statistics never done before in the NFL.
The path toward there being a 10th Hill season in New Orleans was never totally clear, but logic would dictate that the way the Saints have begun this season will hurt Hill’s chances of a reunion.
Saints’ 2-5 Record Impact on Taysom Hill
The most logical scenario we could envision for a Hill return to New Orleans would be as a fresh playmaker in the second half of the season.
Imagine the Saints grind their way to a decent record through eight or nine games, then decide they want an extra spark to take some workload off their players who have already done a lot this season.
If Hill was at home staying in shape, he could be ready to come in, get a few of his specialty packages back in the offense and do some cool things.
But now why would the Saints do that if the season is a lost one? It would make more sense to play younger players like RB CJ Donaldson and TE Oscar Delp rather than giving snaps to Hill in a lost season.
If the Saints lose another game or two after the bye, a Hill reunion seems to go out the window. Unless the Saints simply wanted to sell some tickets late in the year, Hill wouldn’t be of any use to a team that isn’t in a bit of a win-now mode.
Taysom Hill Retirement
Nothing suggests that Hill has retired, but he’s also 36 and hasn’t signed anywhere yet.
Many wondered if Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos would give Hill a try at some point. They may still consider it, but nothing suggests it’s imminent.
Hill’s NFL career may not end on his own terms. It appears teams may have moved on from the potential excitement that he provides.
Saints, Taysom Hill Reunion Chances Likely Impacted By First 7 Weeks