Taysom Hill Announces He Won’t Return to Saints After 9 Seasons

Taysom Hill’s remarkable run with the New Orleans Saints has officially come to an end. The 35-year-old announced Wednesday via the Saints’ social media accounts that he will not return to New Orleans after nine seasons, closing the book on one of the most unconventional careers in modern NFL history. Hill remains an unrestricted free agent and unsigned as training camps open across the league, and he gave no indication of whether he plans to sign elsewhere or step away from football entirely.

Hill’s journey to NFL relevance was never conventional. Claimed off waivers from Green Bay in 2017, he spent nine years turning himself into one of the most versatile weapons the league has seen, lining up at quarterback, tight end, running back and wide receiver while also contributing on special teams. His farewell statement reflected on that unlikely path, with Hill writing that New Orleans had “been so much more than the city where I played” and that his family built a life there over nearly a decade. He thanked owner Gayle Benson, his teammates and the organization before signing off, “Forever a Saint.”

A Swiss Army Knife Departs

Few players in recent NFL memory have blurred positional lines the way Hill did. Over his career he completed 195 of 308 passes for 2,426 yards and 12 touchdowns, while also piling up 2,551 rushing yards and 34 rushing touchdowns on 489 carries — remarkable rushing production for any position, let alone a part-time passer. Add in 110 receptions for 1,034 yards and 11 receiving touchdowns, and Hill finishes his Saints tenure with more total touchdowns from scrimmage across four different roles than most traditional skill players compile in a single lane. That kind of flexibility made him a coordinator’s dream and a defense’s nightmare, and it’s part of why his exit carries so much weight in New Orleans.

Hill became an unrestricted free agent for the first time in his career this offseason after his contract expired, and the Saints ultimately chose not to bring him back. According to salary-cap tracking, New Orleans currently holds just $6.3 million in cap space for 2026 against roughly $112 million in dead money on the books, with $13.7 million of that cap situation tied directly to Hill’s now-expired deal. The numbers help explain why a reunion never materialized, even with mutual affection clearly still present between player and franchise.

What Comes Next

Hill’s statement made clear that his football future is still unresolved. “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,” he wrote, stopping short of confirming retirement. That leaves two real possibilities: a 35-year-old positional chameleon signing with a new team looking for a matchup-proof offensive weapon, or the end of a nine-year run that redefined what a modern NFL role player could look like. The Saints, for their part, released a tribute video narrated by franchise legend Drew Brees, underscoring how much Hill meant to the locker room and the city beyond the box score.

For fans tracking how this ripples into the new season, Hill’s free agency will be one of the more interesting subplots as camps get underway — any contending team thin at tight end or in need of a change-of-pace runner could see value in a versatile veteran, even one without a defined position label. Bettors watching futures markets and roster battles this preseason can check the latest Super Bowl odds as teams round out their rosters, and NFC South backers weighing how New Orleans retools without him can track the NFL odds board as the picture becomes clearer. Whether Hill returns for one more chapter elsewhere or walks away after nine unforgettable seasons, his departure marks the end of an era in New Orleans.