New Orleans Saints first-round tender works, team retains Taysom Hill

The New Orleans Saints have officially retained Taysom Hill, the versatile Swiss-Army knife that has drawn high praise from head coach Sean Payton.

While the future regarding Taysom Hill as a starting quarterback is still unknown, we do now officially know that he’ll be back with the New Orleans Saints in 2020 having not been offered by another team after having a first-round tender stuck to his name.

This was the likely move all along as no team is willing to pay the steep price of a first-round pick for Hill. A superstar in Payton’s system, how Hill would perform under a different head coach and offensive coordinator is rather unknown, potentially taming teams that may need a Hill-like player.

Hill officially became a Saint once again when the NFL deadline to offer any unsigned restricted free agent passed. A restricted free agent, the team virtually guaranteed that they’d bring him back by slapping that first-round tender to him.

The Saints were clearly also banking on the 6-foot-2, 30-year-old returning.

He will be not their third but merely their second quarterback signed for the upcoming season.

As it currently stands, Hill is looking more and more like Payton’s pick to take over Drew Brees’ throne, especially as Teddy Bridgewater announced his signing with the Carolina Panthers earlier this offseason.

Hill was used in a myriad of roles for the Saints offense and special teams last season, further increasing his value. It’s also key to note that Hill was widely considered the Saints’ best player in their Wild Card loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

On the season, he went a mere 3-for-6 on passes but was highly efficient as a receiver and rusher.  He totaled over 150 yards on the ground and over 200 yards through the air (receiving). However,  he played just 23% of the team’s offensive snaps.

Being under the first-round tender, Hill will earn $4.641 million, almost triple the amount he was paid in his first three seasons combined. That said, the team clearly finds value in bringing him back.

This is great news for Hill and the Saints’ diehard fanbase, one that has come to love Hill and his aggressive playstyle.