Taysom Hill announced Wednesday that his nine-year tenure with the New Orleans Saints has ended. The 35-year-old versatile offensive weapon enters NFL free agency as an unsigned player, confirming that a return to the franchise is not in the cards as training camps open across the league.
The era of the NFL’s ultimate Swiss Army knife in New Orleans has officially closed. After nine seasons of baffling defensive coordinators and rewriting positional expectations, Taysom Hill confirmed his departure from the Saints in a statement released on Wednesday, July 29, 2026.
While Hill has not committed to retirement, his statement made clear that his long run in the Big Easy is finished.
A Career Built on Unprecedented Versatility
When the Green Bay Packers cut Hill nearly a decade ago, few anticipated the trajectory that followed. Claimed off waivers by New Orleans in 2017, the former BYU quarterback transformed into a football anomaly across three different head coaching regimes: Sean Payton, Dennis Allen, and Kellen Moore. He lined up as a quarterback, tight end, fullback, and wide receiver while starring on special teams as a primary kick returner and punt defender.
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That flexibility produced numbers matched by no one else in modern football history. During the 2025 season, detroitnews.com, Hill became the only player in the Super Bowl era to accumulate at least 1,000 career yards as a passer, receiver, and rusher.
His scoring impact made him a staple of fantasy football conversations and a nightmare for goal-line defenses. Hill racked up 45 combined rushing and receiving touchdowns, peaking with nine scores in 2020 and another nine in 2022, alongside seven touchdowns during the 2019 campaign.
Farewell From the Player and the Franchise
“It’s where my family built a life, where we formed relationships and made memories that will stay with us forever.”
Photo: Bleacher Report
Taysom Hill, via Detroit News
The organization reciprocated the sentiment. Saints general manager Mickey Loomis praised Hill’s intelligence, unique athletic ability, versatility, and unselfishness, while the team released a tribute video narrated by franchise legend Drew Brees, celebrating Hill’s career highlights as “Mr. Football.”
Financial Reality and Waning Production
Behind the emotional farewell lies a stark financial and statistical reality that influenced the parting of ways. Hill turns 36 years old before the 2026 campaign kicks off, and his production dipped noticeably over recent seasons. Dennis Allen officially shifted Hill’s primary designation to tight end in 2022, but with just 40 passing attempts since that year, his days under center are effectively over.
The 2025 season brought career-low output: just 205 yards from scrimmage, 2.2 yards per carry, 3.3 yards per touch, and a single total touchdown.
The Free Agency Landscape and Retirement Questions
Entering unrestricted free agency for the first time in his career, Hill faces an uncertain market. Analyst projections indicate that any team inquiring about his services as a hybrid fullback or gadget playmaker would require him to accept a substantial pay cut from his previous contracts in New Orleans. While a reunion with Sean Payton in Denver has surfaced as speculative chatter, the Broncos maintain a crowded backfield and tight end room featuring fullback Adam Prentice, starting tight end Evan Engram, backup Adam Trautman, and rookies Justin Joly and Dallen Bentley.
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Having suffered a serious late-season injury last year, Hill remains a wild card as training camps get underway. Whether a playoff contender calls upon his hard-nosed running style or whether he chooses to step away from the game entirely depends on decisions yet to unfold.
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