The New Orleans Saints have adamantly exclaimed that Taysom Hill is a starting quarterback in the NFL and their sentiment hasn't changed this offseason. Despite other people's opinions, Sean Payton believes Hill is best suited as a quarterback in the NFL:
“First and foremost, we still view him as a quarterback. We spent a lot of time this offseason discussing our vision for him this season at quarterback,” Payton said of Hill via ESPN.
After announcing that he would return for his 20th season, the Saints re-signed Drew Brees in free agency. At the same time, they placed a first-round tender on Hill, who was a restricted free agent. Seeing that they placed the first-round tender on him, it's evident that New Orleans thinks highly of Hill.
Throughout his three seasons with the Saints, Hill has been utilized in a multitude of ways. While wearing the No. 7 jersey, Hill has played tight end, wide receiver, quarterback, and he's even spent time on special teams.
Even though he's listed as a quarterback on the depth chart, Hill has only attempted 13 passes in his career, completing six of them. On the other hand, Payton realizes that Hill is too talented of a player to stand on the sideline.
“He’s a tremendous blocker. I don’t think people realize how fast he is — he’s one of the two or three fastest guys on our team,” Payton said. “I think Taysom sees himself as being a starting quarterback in this league, and we do too.”
With Brees nearing the end of his career, New Orleans needs to begin looking for his eventual replacement. Despite the fact that Hill turns 30 years old before the 2020 season, the Saints believe he can carry the torch after Brees.