Jay Glazer reiterates Taysom Hill is Saints future quarterback
It's not exactly new news, but a firm reiteration has surfaced again that Taysom Hill is expected to be the New Orleans Saints future at quarterback. The Athletic's Jay Glazer recently answered a mailbag on Wednesday, in which he was asked about Hill being a future starter for the Saints or it being a smokescreen.
“No smokescreen, he’s the guy,” Glazer said.
“Sean Payton loves him but it's not just him, the whole team loves him, not just Sean Payton. When he's in the game, watch the other players on the sideline, watch their reaction. They all get up and stand on the sidelines to watch him. I think Sean was always hoping to unleash him on the league without anyone seeing him before but now we’ve seen it with Lamar Jackson. He’s a bigger Lamar Jackson.”
This is consistent with what Glazer said at the end of January on The Herd with Colin Cowherd.
In that January interview, Glazer said, "They do have their quarterback of the future on the roster too. That quarterback will be Taysom Hill. Taysom, they believe is a franchise quarterback, and especially you've seen what Lamar Jackson has been able to do, so they think they have him here."
Sean Payton has also talked at length about how they view Hill in their building.
"He's (Hill) certainly someone that we evaluate first and foremost as a quarterback, and then secondly he did such a good job and has really grown as that 'F' tight end if you will," Payton said in late February.
"He can run, he understands the passing game very, very thoroughly. He's explosive with the ball in his hands, and then lastly, of course, when he's coming in the game as a change-up, whether Drew's on the field or not on the field at the quarterback position, it really gives you a lot of flexibility. Quite honestly, it's fun to work with because you can think of a lot of different things that can help you relative to that game plan and win in that specific game. We're fortunate that way."
Ultimately, there's a ton of respect for Drew Brees, and it's going to be on him as to how long he'll play. What fans don't see from watching highlights and just checking stats is how much Hill has progressed since being with New Orleans. He has improved tremendously with his pocket presence, reads and progression, decision-making, and overall mechanics needed to be a successful quarterback. It's also helped having a great support cast around him, which he talked extensively about with Adam Schefter in mid-February.
Hill said Brees took him under his wing, often looking at him as a big brother and a huge reason how their relationship evolved. Hill echoed his desire to play quarterback, but stated there's still going to be opportunities to make plays. Hill also said that he has a leg up over other backup quarterbacks, being in the huddle with Brees and seeing firsthand how he manages the huddle with leadership on game day.
The verdict is still out if Hill does become the future quarterback for New Orleans, but it's the end of May in 2020, and we're only worried about what happens this season.
