The number of times that New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill has left a game this season due to injury continues to pile up.
This one, though, appears to be more serious.
Hill left Sunday’s 21-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams with less than five minutes remaining in the fourth quarter — this time, he was taken off the field on a cart with a knee injury.
He was injured on a QB draw on a fourth-down play where Hill picked up 2 yards and the first down at the Rams 34.
Video of the play appears to show Hill taking a helmet to his left knee, and his knee bent back awkwardly as he fell to the turf.
It’s the third time in 2024 Hill has exited a game early with an injury.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Sunday night that it is feared that Hill’s injury is season-ending.
That’s not the final diagnosis — Hill will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury, according to ESPN.
“It’s the worst. I don’t know anything, y’all probably know more than me,” Saints quarterback Derek Carr said in his postgame press conference, according to NOLA.com. “Just as a brother and as a friend, because it’s bigger than football at that moment. You know, his family, his kids, his wife, you know, everybody. And your heart just breaks.”
The do-it-all Hill — a former BYU star — had 10 rushing yards on five carries and a team-high five receptions for 37 yards before exiting the game.
Hill had missed time earlier this year due to injury — in Week 2, he was injured playing against the Dallas Cowboys and was transported to a local hospital. He missed New Orleans’ next game before returning against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4 — though he left again in that matchup with another injury and missed the next three games before returning in Week 8.
Saints fans chanted Hill’s name as he was being loaded on the cart, and Hill waved at the crowd as he left the field.
“Taysom goes down, a lot of the guys are disappointed,” Saints interim coach Darren Rizzi said, per ESPN. “He’s obviously a very respected and well-liked guy in our locker room.”