The Saints can’t afford to lose Taysom Hill. Here’s how they can keep him.
The New Orleans Saints have employed their share of athletic freaks over the years, that is, players who defy logic in terms of their God-given talent and unique physical qualities.
But Saints “Gadget Man,’‘ Taysom Hill, is a friggin’ football freak.
He would be comfortable and capable of playing any and all positions between the lines. You name it and the BYU product could play it; on offense, defense and special teams. If it’s in the game, he could do it and not embarrass himself.
In fact, I’d love to see Saints coach Sean Payton give Hill a chance to do just that in a preseason game. The sheer novelty of finding “Waldo’‘ would put more fannies in the seats at a meaningless home exhibition at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
Which segues to my point:
When it comes to determining a salary commensurate with Hill’s value/performance, how does his agent, Jeff Nalley of Houston-based Select Sports Group, go about negotiations with Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and vice president of football operations Khai Harley?
To simply label Hill “quarterback’‘ — and undrafted quarterback no less — doesn’t do him justice. It pigeon-holes him. He contributes greatly to the team in so many other ways; at running back, fullback, tight end, slot receiver, wide receiver and in multiple roles on special teams.
Exhibit A: Against the Minnesota Vikings on Wildcard Sunday, Hill played 23 snaps on offense, 27 snaps on special teams. He amassed 125 yards from scrimmage on seven touches. He led the Saints in rushing with 50 yards, completed the game’s longest pass (50 yards) and caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Drew Brees.
Hill, 29, recently completed his third accrued NFL season, meaning he now is a restricted free agent. Although the Saints can retain his rights by tendering a one-year qualifying offer by March 18, Hill also has the ability to negotiate with other teams through April 17.
Because of Hill’s value, I suspect Saints officials will tender an offer at the highest compensation level (upwards of $4.5 million), which would require another team to give up a first-round draft pick if the Saints let him go.
In September of 2017, the Saints snatched Hill away on waivers from the Green Bay Packers and then-coach Mike McCarthy, in the NFL’s version of grand theft in broad daylight. That said, turnabout would be fair play. For a team in need of a mobile, durable, instinctive, athletic quarterback with tremendous upside, I presume Hill would be a player of interest, the Saints notwithstanding.
It’s safe to assume that Hill has earned himself a pile of money, much more than his $645,000 base salary last season.
“Taysom’s goal is to become a starting quarterback in this league but he’s a very selfless player and he’s going to do whatever he can to help the team win,’‘ Nalley said. “Look, Sean Payton is one of the NFL’s top quarterback developers, and Sean has said on multiple occasions that he thinks Taysom could become the next Steve Young.
“Taysom is playing behind a first-ballot Hall of Famer, one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, so Taysom is still in a good position learning from Drew. I (represented) Chase Daniel in New Orleans, and teams knew when they signed Chase they were getting a part of Drew because of the work ethic, the leadership and what (Brees) brings to the locker room.
“Taysom is getting all those benefits now.’‘
I know the Saints have a plethora of crucial contractual considerations this offseason, beginning but not ending with Brees. But they better do their due diligence on protecting their association with Hill.
Why? Because friggin’ football freaks like Taysom Shawn Hill don’t come along too often.
This story was originally published January 17, 2020 at 11:23 AM.