What was largely assumed was made official on Wednesday.
Taysom Hill‘s time with the New Orleans Saints is done. Hill confirmed his departure from the team in a statement that the Saints shared on their social media.
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The 35-year-old who has played his entire nine-season career with the Saints acknowledged that “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.”
It was a sentimental statement from a player who clearly built a bond with the team and the city for which he played. It was also unorthodox in a league where players change teams and reach the end of their careers all the time with little-to-no fanfare.
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The Saints then upped the ante.
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Minutes after sharing Hill’s statement, they released a tribute video to Hill of “NFL Films” quality narrated by none other than Saints legend Drew Brees.
“Forever a Saint. Forever a legend,” Brees said before signing off: “Thank you Taysom.”
The tribute was at the same time touching and hyperbolic. In a league that repeatedly grinds through players, it was the type of sendoff that’s generally reserved for a Super Bowl hero or Hall of Fame icon. Hill is neither.
He’s a gadget player who started in less than half of the 118 games he played in New Orleans and was never in the conversation for All-Pro consideration.
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But he’s a player with few comps who’s played anywhere and everywhere on offense, including quarterback, making his presence on any given play a potential adventure. This chameleon quality endeared him in the hearts of Saints fans and fantasy football managers alike, as evidenced by the outpouring of love in the comments below the tribute video.
Wherever Hill lands next, be it with another team or in retirement, he’ll be remembered fondly in New Orleans, a city with a love for its NFL team like few others.
