SALT LAKE CITY — For the past three seasons, Taysom Hill has learned from one of the NFL’s greatest all-time quarterbacks, Drew Brees, trying to soak up all the information he can while sitting in the same quarterback room with the New Orleans Saints.
With the two-year, reported $21 million contract extension Hill signed Sunday, the former BYU quarterback is hopeful he can be the heir apparent to the 41-year-old superstar, whenever he retires.
“I look at Drew as a mentor and a friend. It’s been the best thing for my career,” Hill said during a media conference call Sunday. “Overall, I’m grateful and so excited that the next chapter of my NFL career is in New Orleans.”
The extension appears to signal that the Saints truly believe what they’ve been preaching — particularly head coach Sean Payton — that Hill will have the opportunity to be the successor to Brees, a 13-time Pro Bowler who holds the NFL record for career completion percentage (67.6%) and who led the organization to its lone championship in Super Bowl XLIV.
Hill said he had a lot of conversations with Brees, many not long after the season ended, as they both discussed the future — Brees was headed into unrestricted free agency, while Hill became a restricted free agent.
In February, Brees announced he would return to the Saints in 2020. Meanwhile, New Orleans placed a first-round tender on Hill, meaning another team would have to give up a first-round pick for the former Cougar if they wanted to sign him away from the Saints.
“I had a hope and a goal to have the opportunity to compete to be the guy for an NFL franchise. So, I think this contract is reflective of that.” — Saints quarterback Taysom Hill
It turns out they’ll both be in the Saints’ black and old gold for at least one more year together.
“I don’t know what Drew is going to do, if he’s going to play two more years, one, three, four and I told him this at the end of the season, ‘I hope that you come back. The NFL is better if you’re playing and starting for the New Orleans Saints.’ I’ve always felt that way,” Hill said.
“If he wants to come and play in 2021, I’m all for it. I’m his biggest fan. I think as far as what my role is, this contract secured an opportunity to be that guy if Drew decides to retire.”
Hill has become a jack-of-all-trades for New Orleans, both as a key contributor in a variety of positions on offense and as a special teams ace. Even as the team’s third-string quarterback, Hill has often become a topic of conversation among NFL analysts — either in print or television broadcasts — because of the creative ways Payton has been able to utilize his speed and toughness.
That’s led to a bit of an unusual career stat line for the quarterback: he’s thrown just 13 career pass attempts during the regular season, completing six for 119 passing yards (he’s completed 1 of 2 passes in the postseason for 50 yards) while rushing for 352 yards and three touchdowns on 64 carries. Last year, Hill became more of a threat in the receiving game, catching 19 passes for 234 yards and six touchdowns. He has 12 career special teams tackles and once blocked a punt.
“My goal has always been to get on the field and to compete and as we talked before, my mindset has never changed,” Hill said. “I had a hope and a goal to have the opportunity to compete to be the guy for an NFL franchise. So, I think this contract is reflective of that.”
Earlier this offseason, Payton said Hill would be the backup to Brees during a radio interview, while also emphasizing the team needed to add a veteran quarterback so the Saints could continue to utilize Hill as a utility player. This past weekend, reports surfaced that New Orleans was nearing a one-year deal with veteran quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston was most recently the starter in Tampa Bay before becoming an unrestricted free agent.
“I think Jameis is a good football player and he’s a good quarterback and I think nothing has changed for the New Orleans Saints,” Hill said of increasing likelihood of Winston, the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft, joining the Saints.
In the previous two seasons, New Orleans had Teddy Bridgewater serving as backup to Brees. Now, Bridgewater is in Carolina on a reported three-year, $63 million deal. How the expected addition of Winston impacts 2020 is yet to be seen.
Hill, though, is confident in his ability to become a franchise quarterback. His three years in New Orleans serve as a backdrop to his adaptability and his learning curve.
“I know what it takes to be a good quarterback. I’ve had the opportunity to learn from Drew. I think what makes a great quarterback is decision-making, accuracy, arm strength. I feel like I have all those, the capability to do all those things at a high level,” he said. “... Because I’ve thrown 13 passes or whatever that number is isn’t indicative or that does not mean that I’m not capable of doing it. I feel capable of doing it. I trust in Coach Payton’s system and his process and I hope to have the opportunity.”
He also doesn’t worry about any outside noise.
“The things that are important to me, I certainly care about my teammates and those around me, coaches, my wife, things like that. That’s about the extent of it,” Hill said. “You’ve played quarterback long enough and you realize that that’s how it has to be.”