Nine years ago the Saints claimed a converted BYU quarterback off waivers from Green Bay just to see what he could do. What he did was become one of the strangest and most valuable players in the NFL — a guy who lined up at QB, RB, TE, WR and on every special teams unit, sometimes in the same game. Now that run is officially finished.
Adam Schefter broke the news that Hill was saying goodbye to New Orleans.
Taysom Hill said goodbye to New Orleans:
Hill, an unrestricted free agent, posted a farewell statement that stopped short of announcing retirement but made the Saints part clear: "I still don't have a clear answer about what the future holds, but I know that returning to New Orleans is not in the cards." That's about as final as it gets without using the R-word.
Context matters here. Hill is 35, turning 36 before next season, and he's coming off a serious December 2024 knee injury that he actually fought back from to play 13 games in 2025 — 11 catches, one passing touchdown, 114 rushing yards on 52 carries. Not exactly vintage Taysom, but he still put a body that had every reason to shut it down back on the field one more time.
Schefter followed up with more reporting on the situation via colleague Kat Terrell.
More about free-agent TE Taysom Hill announcing he will not return to the Saints for his 10th season, via @Kat_Terrell: https://t.co/MblhfWZSLM
The résumé speaks for itself: Hill is one of only five NFL players ever with double-digit touchdowns rushing, receiving and passing, and the only player in the Super Bowl era with 1,000-plus yards in all three categories. There was never a real position for that guy — coaches just kept finding ways to get the ball in his hands, and Saints GM Mickey Loomis has publicly praised what Hill gave the organization across 118 regular-season games and 6 playoff appearances.
What comes next is the real question. Hill didn't close the door on continuing to play — just on doing it in New Orleans — which means somebody could take a flier on a battle-tested Swiss Army knife who still has juice left, even at 35. Either way, the Saints are about to find out how hard it is to replace a player who never had a defined job description.