The New Orleans Saints didn’t bring back Taysom Hill in free agency this offseason.
It raised a clear alternative idea in the eyes of many NFL fans: He should sign with the Denver Broncos.
It would reunite Hill with the head coach that made him famous, Sean Payton.
The Broncos are playing on Sunday Night Football in Week 3, which would’ve been a cool stage for Hill, if that happened.
But Hill didn’t sign with Denver. He hasn’t actually signed with anyone.
Is Taysom Hill Still Playing?
In the sense that Hill hasn’t yet retired, yes he’s still playing.
He also isn’t on a team, though. He’s a free agent.
His contract expired at the end of last season with the Saints, and he hasn’t signed a new deal.
Why Didn’t Taysom Hill Sign With Broncos?
There’s no clear explanation for why Hill isn’t now a member of the Broncos.
The toughest part about Hill is that to bring him in, you likely have to commit to installing full packages specifically for his skillset. You want to bring him to the huddle and not yet have the defense know what the plan is.
He’s a mystery, a wild card, a free space. Hill can do so many things, and that’s a positive if he’s still at the top of his game and if a team believes in him.
At the moment, it seems no team believes in Hill — even his former head coach.
With Hill now being 36, there’s clear potential for diminishing returns. Is he really worth all the extra offensive creation it would take to allow Hill the chance to shine?
If anyone was going to do it, it’d be Sean Payton, but not yet at least.
He’s played just nine NFL seasons, but his football timeline was delayed because of his Mormon mission, so that brings him to his age-36 and the fact that he may be in decline physically from his peak.
Taysom Hill Stats
The fan favorite Hill spent the first nine seasons of his career with the Saints. He ran 489 times for 2,551 yards and 34 touchdowns. He caught 110 passes for 1,034 yards and 11 touchdowns. And he completed 195-of-308 passes (63.3%) for 2,426 yards and 12 touchdowns.
No other NFL player has ever gone for those three totals in the same career. It’s unprecedented, and it probably won’t ever be matched.
The only chance Hill would get now to add to those totals would be to sign a contract with a new team.
As it stands, though, he’s out there waiting. There might not ever be a “next Taysom Hill,” but the current Taysom Hill isn’t in the NFL picture, either, not even by Payton’s side for one last dance.
Why Saints’ Taysom Hill Didn’t Sign With Broncos To Play For Sean Payton