"The Taysom Hill experiment at quarterback is over in New Orleans. He won't be part of that conversation," @LarryHolder on Fantasy Dirt @SiriusXMFantasy.
— Michael Fabiano (@Michael_Fabiano) March 19, 2022
After five years of exploration with Taysom Hill playing several roles on offense, it looks like the tryouts at quarterback have come to an end with the New Orleans Saints. The Athletic’s Larry Holder joined Michael Fabiano’s Fantasy Dirt show on Sirius XM and explained that the all-purpose player will not “be a part of that conversation” relative to the Saints open quarterback spot ahead of 2022.
Hill has taken 748 snaps at quarterback over the last four seasons with the Saints. He built momentum as the heir-apparent to Drew Brees’ in 2020 and filled in for Jameis Winston in 2021, navigating several injuries. Hill holds a career win-loss record of 7-2 as a starter. However, it looks like that won’t be enough to convince New Orleans to offer more opportunities as a signal-caller coming for the former BYU Cougar. One has to wonder how much Sean Payton’s departure factors into the equation as well as the former Saints coach was a champion of Hill’s.
Payton once referred to Hill as a “Steve Young type” and consistently shared his vote of confidence that he could be a starting quarterback in the NFL. But now, it looks like that part of Hill’s career trajectory has come to an end with the team. Nola.com’s Luke Johnson reported a similar story following this year’s NFL scouting combine as well. It looks like Hill’s role in New Orleans will shift to his pass-catching talents as opposed to what he can offer as a passer himself, which was reflected in the base value of his contract prior to a recent restructure.
This might signal more than Hill not getting the opportunity to compete for the starting role, but it may also mean fewer “Taysom Hill packages” on offense and swapping of signal callers throughout games. That could be appealing for an incoming passer who doesn’t necessarily want to feel like he’s being competed with throughout the season. After the Saints’ uncomfortable run at Deshaun Watson over the last week, a clear path ahead at quarterback would be a welcome sight for the franchise.
