Other coaching assistants Payton brought to Denver include Joe Lombardi (offensive coordinator), John Morton (former pass game coordinator), Mike Westhoff (former assistant head coach), Zach Strief (offensive line coach), Chris Banjo (former special teams), and Pete Carmichael (senior offensive assistant), among others.
On the player level, there are numerous former Saints, the most noteworthy being wideout Lil’Jordan Humphrey, fullback Michael Burton, and tight end Adam Trautman, now in Denver. As we inch closer to the new league year of 2025, it’s looking increasingly more likely that Denver could have the opportunity to add another former Payton favorite.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, “it’s hard to imagine” tight end Taysom Hill returning to the Saints. The rumor mill has New Orleans releasing the quarterback-turned-tight end this offseason.
Hill is a unique weapon, with the novelty of him playing multiple positions being a Payton creation. Originally signed by the Saints as an undrafted free agent out of BYU, Hill spent the early portion of his career as a Wildcat-type quarterback to complement Drew Brees.
Payton used Hill in that form to devastating effect at times. Hill even started plenty of games at quarterback in relief of Brees, including that fateful and humiliating Week 12 game in 2020 vs. the Broncos, where Kendall Hinton had to play quarterback for the Broncos with Drew Lock, Brett Rypien, Jeff Driskel, and Blake Bortles ruled out due to COVID exposure.
As time marched on, Hill was used more as a skill-position weapon in New Orleans, as a Wildcat quarterback, a tight end/receiver, and as a running back/ball-carrier. That Swiss Army Knife tradition carried on after Payton stepped down as Saints head coach.
Last season, Hill only appeared in eight games for the Saints, but he rushed the ball 39 times for 278 yards and six touchdowns, and caught 23 passes for 187 yards. Juxtapose that rushing production with the Broncos’ running back room last year, which was headlined by Javonte Williams’ four rushing touchdowns.
Hill is 34, so his time is running out. The Broncos have a big need at tight end, and while he wouldn’t necessarily be the fix-all, he’d certainly bring a playmaking ability and creative threat to an offense he knows like the back of his hand.
Set to make a $10 million base salary in 2025, there’s almost no chance the Saints bring Hill back at that number. And if he’s released, he faces similarly low odds of finding that level of paycheck elsewhere.
But if Hill were inclined to reunite with the coach who gave him his NFL career and pioneered the unique role he earned in New Orleans, I could see the Broncos offering him a fair but team-friendly contract to come to Denver. He’s getting old, but keep in mind that he served a two-year LDS mission (Sydney, Australia), which puts the football mileage on his body closer to that of a 32-year-old.
Hill’s production last year, even in only half the games, shows that he’s still got some gas left in the tank. Don’t be shocked if the Broncos kick his tires, provided the Saints release him.
