Taysom Hill - Pro Football Rumors

Saints’ COVID Surge

December 24th, 2021 at 9:27pm CST by Ely Allen

Yesterday, the Saints saw 9 players hit the reserve/COVID-19 list including quarterbacks Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian who were expected to handle the duties behind center for the rest of the year with Jameis Winston on IR with a torn ACL. In addition to those two, guard James Carpenter, linebacker Kaden Elliss, defensive back Jeff Heath, defensive end Jalyn Holmes, defensive back Malcolm Jenkins, defensive tackle Christian Ringo, and tackle Jordan Mills all found themselves on the COVID list. Besides the quarterbacks and full-time starter Jenkins, the other six players have a combined 8 starts between them.

With three quarterbacks currently unavailable for Monday Night’s matchup with the Dolphins, the Saints are expected to start the rookie fourth-round pick out of Notre Dame, Ian Book. As we reported earlier this morning, New Orleans also made the move of signing Blake Bortles as a contingency plan behind Book.

Well, despite the addition, the Saints didn’t fair any better today, losing full-time starters Ryan Ramczyk at tackle and Demario Davis at linebacker to the reserve/COVID-19 list, as well as reserves running back Dwayne Washington and safety J.T. Gray.

With the losses, the Saints will continue to operate with a depleted roster, like every other NFL team this year. The Saints’ lineup now lacks the likes of regular starters like Winston, Hill, Jenkins, Ramczyk, Davis, kicker Wil Lutz, tackle Andrus Peat, tight end Adam Trautman, and wide receiver Michael Thomas. Although they look like a shell of the team they could be at full strength, the Saints, along with the rest of the NFL, will continue to work to make the most of a bad situation as they currently sit only two spots outside of the final Wild Card spot with a 7-7 record, losing the tiebreakers to current 7-seed Minnesota and 8-seed Philadelphia.

NFC South Notes: Bucs, Rhule, Saints

December 24th, 2021 at 12:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Le’Veon Bell joined the Buccaneers earlier this week. They are his fifth team and fourth in the past 14 months. Following the Ravens’ decision to waive him earlier this season, the 29-year-old running back considered retirement, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com notes. While Bell has not been much of a factor since his final Steelers season, in 2017, he had not been an in-season free agent for a lengthy stretch until this year. The Ravens cut Bell on Nov. 16. The Bucs, who are in need at running back after Leonard Fournette‘s IR placement, may well give him an opportunity on third downs and as a change-of-pace option behind Ronald Jones. Bell also expressed regret for how public his Steelers franchise tag dispute became in 2018, though the former All-Pro said he does not regret skipping that season. While that move ended up benefiting Bell financially, via the lucrative guarantee he received from the Jets in 2019, his career has never recovered from that decision.

Here is the latest from the NFC South:

Although the Panthers have drifted out of contention and have gone 10-20 under Matt Rhule, the drumbeat of the ex-college HC staying on for a third season continues. Despite Carolina’s 4-10 record, Rhule is still expected to receive a third season, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required). David Tepper, naturally, is unhappy about being 0-for-4 in winning seasons as owner; this will put more heat on Rhule if/once he comes back in 2022. Rhule returning gibes with what we’ve heard out of Charlotte in recent weeks. Rhule received a monster contract in 2020 — seven years, $62MM — but has not delivered just yet, largely due to decisions at quarterback. The Panthers have bounced from Cam Newton to Teddy Bridgewater to Sam Darnold to P.J. Walker and back to Newton over the past year and change. Rhule said this week Darnold will return to action and play some against the Bucs.
Sean Payton returned to Saints headquarters Friday, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com tweets. Payton contracted the coronavirus for a second time and missed New Orleans’ shutout win in Tampa. He will be back for a coaching assignment that will involve game-planning for rookie Ian Book’s first regular-season snaps. Taysom Hill and Trevor Siemian are on the Saints’ COVID-19 list.
Hill’s second Saints extension will pay between $40MM and $95MM, depending on his role. Hill’s 2022 salary ($10.1MM) is fully guaranteed, with his 2023 base ($9.9MM) becoming guaranteed in March 2022, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. However, the other components of this contract are more complex. Hill’s 2023-25 salaries can increase by $12MM per year if he throws at least 224 regular-season passes the previous year. That prospect will hinge on how the Saints proceed at quarterback in 2022, when Jameis Winston is a free agent. There are also $18MM in incentives included, Florio adds, with many of those escalators tied to passing statistics. Essentially, this is a two-year, $20MM deal with significant upside for Hill, who will be 32 by Week 1 of next season.
The Bucs‘ Week 15 injury avalanche will indeed cost them Mike Evans for at least one game. The Pro Bowl wideout did not practice this week and will miss the Bucs-Panthers matchup Sunday. Evans suffered a hamstring injury against the Saints. The Bucs will also be without Fournette and Lavonte David, whom they placed on IR Thursday, due to injuries suffered last week. Chris Godwin is out for the season with a torn ACL.

Saints Place Taysom Hill, Trevor Siemian On Reserve/COVID-19 List

December 23rd, 2021 at 11:07am CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints are the latest team with a virus issue. It may well lead the playoff-contending squad starting a rookie at quarterback Monday night.

New Orleans placed Trevor Siemian on the reserve/COVID-19 list earlier Thursday morning, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com notes, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds that Taysom Hill will also be moved to the virus list (Twitter link). Rookie Ian Book is the next man up. The Notre Dame product is likely to get the call Monday night.

Book would be New Orleans’ fourth QB starter this season, following Jameis Winston, Siemian and Hill. The Saints selected the ex-Fighting Irish standout in the fourth round. This certainly could stall the Saints’ recent momentum. After nearly falling out of the playoff race during a stretch without Alvin Kamara, the Saints have won two straight — including a 9-0 win in Tampa that doubled as Tom Brady‘s first shutout loss in 15 years.

Sean Payton has not been at the facility this week; the 16th-year head coach remains away from the team after testing positive for COVID last week. The Saints chose Book 133rd overall. He started three seasons at Notre Dame, topping out with a 34-touchdown pass season as a junior in 2019.

Book is also the winningest starting QB in Notre Dame history. He stands to be tasked with helping the Saints stay on the No. 7 seed line in the NFC playoff race. The Saints’ win over the Buccaneers moved them to 7-7; FiveThirtyEight.com gives the team a 44% chance to make the playoffs. New Orleans being forced to give the keys to a Day 3 rookie with zero regular-season snaps will impact those odds.

The Saints also added seven more players to their reserve/COVID-19 list. Malcolm Jenkins is among them. Joining the veteran safety are safety Jeff Heath, guard James Carpenter, offensive lineman Jordan Mills, defensive end Jalyn Holmes, D-tackle Christian Ringo and linebacker Kaden Elliss.

Lastest On Saints’ QB Taysom Hill

December 3rd, 2021 at 7:39pm CST by Ely Allen

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (tweet), Saints’ quarterback Taysom Hill will attempt to play through the injury he suffered after a hit to the middle finger on his throwing hand in Thursday night’s game against the Cowboys.

Confirming what many in the Saints’ organization thought, doctors for the Saints determined that Hill had indeed suffered a mallet finger. While this is the same injury that forced Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to have surgery and miss 3 games in October, Hill’s injury is not as extensive. ESPN’s Stephania Bell was quoted saying that given the isolation of the one injury to the one finger, it was viable for Hill to play without surgery.

Bell continued, “My expectation is that we will see them customize a splint…that is open on the undersurface so he can feel and grip the ball. Then when he’s not playing, he’ll probably be in a sturdier splint.”

As long as he’s able to reach close to full strength with a couple extra days between games, there’s a good chance Hill continues to start when the Saints travel to East Rutherford to play the Jets in Week 14.

Surgery For Saints QB Taysom Hill?

December 3rd, 2021 at 11:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints believe that quarterback Taysom Hill has suffered a torn tendon in his middle finger that may require surgery (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Hill will know more after further testing, but he’s likely dealing with Mallet Finger, the same injury that forced Seahawks QB Russell Wilson to miss time this year.

Hill started under center for the Saints last night, completing just 19 of his 41 throws for two touchdowns against four interceptions. On the plus side, he was able to make plays with his feet, carrying the ball eleven times for 101 yards.

Hill came into the game with a partially torn plantar fascia that still isn’t 100%. Then, after suffering the finger injury, he had to play with a splint on his throwing hand — that didn’t go so well, so it stands to reason that the Saints will keep Hill off the field for at least a few weeks. And, now that the Saints are 5-7 with slim odds of securing a Wild Card spot, there’s little reason to rush things.

“I thought he played with a lot of heart, a lot of guts. We didn’t help him any in the first half,” said head coach Sean Payton, referencing Hill’s first interception, a catchable ball thrown to Kenny Stills (via ESPN.com).

The Saints, who will likely be without Hill, have a little over a week before their next game against the Jets.

Saints’ Taysom Hill To Start At QB Tomorrow

December 1st, 2021 at 6:18pm CST by Ben Levine

The Saints are officially turning to Taysom Hill. The veteran will start at quarterback against the Cowboys tomorrow night, reports ESPN’s Mike Triplett.

While he was still rostered as an emergency backup, Hill ended up missing the past two weeks while he recovered from a partially torn plantar fascia. With the Trevor Siemian-led offense sputtering, it seemed inevitable that the Saints would turn to Hill once he was fully healthy. That will end up being the case tomorrow night, as the Swiss Army Knife will be under center for New Orleans.

After also dealing with a concussion earlier this year, Hill has been limited to only seven games this season. While the 31-year-old went 3-1 as a starter at QB last season, he’s been limited to only eight pass attempts in 2021 (completing seven of them for 56 yards and one interception). He’s also seen 24 touches for 156 yards and three touchdowns. Hill signed a “unique four-year, hybrid…contract extension” with the Saints last week.

Siemian slid into the starting lineup once Jameis Winston was lost for the season. While the veteran initially played well, the Saints offense has regressed over the past few weeks, leading to the easy decision. Siemian ultimately went 0-4 in his four starts (five games overall), completing 57.2-percent of his passes for 1,083 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions.

Saints, Taysom Hill Agree To Extension

November 22nd, 2021 at 2:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Quarterback Taysom Hill has agreed to a “unique four-year, hybrid…contract extension” with the Saints (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The deal could pay anywhere between $40MM and $95MM, depending on the position he plays over that span. But, regardless of how he’s used, the deal will furnish him with $22.5MM in guaranteed cash.

Hill will earn $40MM in base salary if he continues in his gadget role. But, if he becomes the Saints’ starting quarterback for the next four years, he could net an additional $55MM, according to Schefter.

The deal is yet another stroke of cap wizardry from Saints GM Mickey Loomis, who already agreed to an entirely voidable four-year, $140MM re-up with Hill in March. We’re still awaiting word on how this latest deal impacts the previous one, but the new deal likely supersedes/replaces the last one. In short, Hill did not receive a true $140MM re-up this spring. Instead, his actual contract for this year includes a $9.7MM signing bonus, a $1.4MM guaranteed roster bonus, and $1.03MM in guaranteed base salary, plus incentives. All together, that’s a shade over $12MM for 2021.

Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap (Twitter link) suggests that the unique structure could be the result of lucrative incentives. For example, the deal could furnish Hill with a $500K bonus for every game he plays with upwards of 50% snaps at QB, plus another $500K bonus for every win. Still, the exact breakdown remains unclear.

Hill completed 72.7% of his passes last year for 928 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions. He went 3-1 while starting in Drew Brees‘ stead, showing a glimpse of his potential. Outside of the traditional QB stats, he finished 2020 with 555 yards from scrimmage and nine rushing and receiving touchdowns.

Through seven games this year, Hill has 20 carries for 104 yards and three rushing touchdowns, plus four grabs for 52 yards. As a QB, he’s completed 7-of-8 throws for 56 yards and one interception.

Trevor Siemian To Remain Saints Starting QB?

November 15th, 2021 at 10:48pm CST by Ben Levine

With Jameis Winston done for the season, third-string QB Trevor Siemian has earned the last two starts for the Saints. Even with Taysom Hill fully recovered from his concussion, it sounds like Siemian could retain his starting gig. Per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the journeyman QB “has an opportunity to remain in place” as New Orleans looks to make a playoff push.

In three games this season, Siemian has completed only 57.7 percent of his pass attempts, but the 29-year-old has thrown for 706 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Sean Payton hasn’t definitively stated a plan at the position moving forward, and while Hill will remain a natural part of the offense, Siemian’s ability to (somewhat) replicate Drew Brees‘ offense makes him the favorite to keep the top spot on the depth chart (per La Canfora).

The Saints made a sizable commitment to Hill this offseason when they inked the Swiss Army Knife to what amounted to a one-year, ~$12MM extension. Hill has already seen four starts at QB this season, completing seven of his eight passes attempts for 56 yards and one interception. He also has 20 carries for 104 yards and three touchdowns, and he’s added another four receptions for 52 yards.

Meanwhile, Winston underwent successful surgery on his left knee last week, per Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com. The surgery repaired a torn ACL and a “damaged’ MCL, and he’s already been released from the hospital.

Saints To Start Trevor Siemian In Week 9

November 5th, 2021 at 2:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Trevor Siemian‘s surprise cameo in Week 8 is expected to lead to a start Sunday. The will use their previous third-string quarterback as their starter against the Falcons, Sean Payton confirmed Friday.

While Siemian has more experience than Taysom Hill as a starter, this is still a surprise move. Hill and Jameis Winston competed for New Orleans’ starting job throughout the offseason. Hill did take reps at quarterback this week, per NFL.com’s James Palmer, and should be ticketed for occasional QB work Sunday (Twitter link). Payton confirmed Hill will be in uniform against the Falcons.

Hill has missed the past three games due to a concussion, but he was a full participant in practice this week. The Saints turned to Hill ahead of Winston when Drew Brees suffered broken ribs last year, and Hill fared well in four games as a starter. The former UDFA-turned-gadget player completed 73% of his passes and averaged 7.7 yards per attempt last season, throwing four touchdown passes and rushing for eight TDs.

The versatile player is in the second season of his 2020 extension, which came after the Saints used a first-round tender to cuff him as a restricted free agent. Siemian, who has started one game since the start of the 2018 season, is attached to a veteran-minimum salary. This is an interesting turn of events for the 5-2 team. Brees confirmed he would not come out of retirement to reclaim the job, though Philip Rivers said he would listen if the Saints called him about the post.

Siemian’s run as the Broncos’ starter ended when they traded him to the Vikings in 2018, following a Case Keenum signing. Since, Siemian has started one game, which came in Week 2 of the 2019 season. The former seventh-round pick suffered a season-ending injury during his one game as a Jet. He spent the 2020 season with the Titans and Saints but did not play. For his career, the Northwestern product has completed 59% of his passes.

Saints To Start Jameis Winston

August 27th, 2021 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints will name Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback to open the year (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Winston, hot off of a strong preseason performance, will lead the charge while Taysom Hill resumes his gadget/wild card role.

Winston looked strong against the Jaguars on Monday, posting 123 yards and two touchdowns while completing nine of his ten throws. While he was interception-prone in Tampa (to put it politely), he was calm, cool, and accurate in the pocket. Hill, meanwhile, went 11-for-20 with 138 yards and a touchdown. Up until this point, Saints head coach Sean Payton kept a pretty tight lid on his plans.

“I’m not going to have weekly or daily updates,” Payton said just last week. “These guys are both working hard.”

Winston now has a prime opportunity to lead the post-Drew Brees Saints offense. He’ll also have a chance to cash in. His modest one-year, $5.5MM deal includes $7MM in incentives, so a strong year could more than double his earnings.

Winston, 27, attempted just eleven passes last year for the Saints. In his last season with the Bucs in 2019, he threw 33 touchdowns while also lobbing an incredible 30 interceptions. This time around, he’s hoping to fix that ratio.