Taysom Hill thinks he’s a franchise QB; former Saints coach says he’s a better passer than Lamar Jackson

The Saints’ explosive weapon Taysom Hill has suddenly become one of the most intriguing free agents of the offseason.
Is he the next Tim Tebow or the next Lamar Jackson?

Taysom Hill: Franchise quarterback?

The multi-faceted New Orleans Saints player sure thinks he is:

In his interview with the Associated Press, he told Maddi: “As you go into free agency, this is the time you start to find out how people view you. We haven’t gotten far enough into free agency to know how these guys view me and we’ll just handle it as it comes.”

The 29-year-old former BYU quarterback has made a remarkable journey from injury-plagued college player to versatile NFL weapon for the Saints.

Hill told Maaddi during the interview, which was held during Super Bowl week, he would rather stay in New Orleans, where all three of its quarterbacks are headed into free agency this offseason, although Hill is a restricted free agent. Future Hall of Famer Drew Brees and his backup Teddy Bridgewater are unrestricted free agents.

Nobody seems sure if Brees, 41, will retire. That includes Hill, who described Brees “one of my best friends and like a brother to me.”

Hill told Maadi, “As you look at free agency, you have to find the right opportunity for you. You have to find the situation to take care of your family. I want to play quarterback in this league, and if New Orleans doesn’t view me that way, I have to leave.”

Saints coach Sean Peyton told NBC Sports’ Peter King that he believes Hill will get an offer sheet from another team but also seemed to remain uncommitted to Hill, saying:

“But the first thing the fan has to understand is … if we tender Taysom as a one (meaning the Saints put a first-round draft tag on him), the team that makes the offer on him and signs him to an offer understands they’re going to give up a first-round pick if we don’t match,” Payton told King. “That’s easier to do if you’re picking 22, 23, 24, 25. We might very well see it if it’s a team in the second half of the (first round).”

Hill has attempted just 13 passes in his NFL career, completing six, although it’s clear he’s speedy and got good moves, and one former Saints coach thinks he might become as good a dual-threat as current NFL MVP Lamar Jackson.

Mike Westhoff, who served as a special-teams coordinator with the Saints in 2017 and 2018, praised Hill’s skills in a January interview with Zach Gelb of CBS Sports Radio.

“Take a look at Baltimore,” Westhoff said when discussing Hill’s skill set. “It’s the same kind of guy. Taysom Hill does those same kind of things. I think he throws better.”

“If you don’t think Taysom Hill is a future star in the NFL, you haven’t been paying close enough attention to him,” Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk said recently. “He was the best player on the field for either team in the Saints-Vikings playoff game. The biggest question is can he stay healthy if used all the time?”

So, yeah, Taysom Hill has suddenly become one of the most intriguing free agents of this offseason.

Is he the next Tim Tebow or the next Lamar Jackson?