Broncos Coach Talks Taysom Hill Comeback Possibility

Denver Broncos coach Sean Payton has a reputation for being loyal to his guys, and quarterback/tight end/running back Taysom Hill was one of Payton’s favorites. He was the ultimate version of a player who could fill Payton’s coveted “joker” role during their time together with the New Orleans Saints, with Hill being the NFL equivalent of a Swiss Army knife. 

The rumors about a possible Hill comeback started a couple of weeks ago, and they’ve been gathering steam ever since. Payton finally addressed the issue yesterday, but he indicated that this isn’t a pressing matter. 

"There's no hurry right now. I'm going to see him [in Canton] in five days," Payton said when he was asked about Hill’s status in an update from Jeff Legwold of ESPN. "We'll see where he's at and kind of go from there. ... The key thing is his health and, you know, where he's at mentally. I don't want to assume he wants to play."

Hill, meanwhile, seems to have moved on from New Orleans. He was last seen on the field in 2025, but knee surgery made him a shadow of the player he once was, as he caught 11 passes, rushed for 114 yards on 52 carries and threw one touchdown pass last season, according to Legwold. 

"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,” Hill said in a social media post in which he thanked the Saints and their fans for his time in the Big Easy. 

Hill was never a player who did things the easy way, though. He’s Hill one of four NFL players to have at least 10 career touchdowns rushing, receiving and passing, and when he reached that milestone in 2023, he was the first player to have done it since Hall of Famer Frank Gifford reached at least 10 touchdowns in all three categories in 1957, per the report.

"He's done a lot of different things," Payton said as he showed off his gift for understatement. 

If there is a clue to be found here, it’s contained in the update about Hill’s surgery. He’s actually been to Denver, and Hill has been examined and done follow-up visits with Broncos team doctor Dr. Karim Meijer, who performed Hill's knee surgery in 2024. 

That’s the smoke so far, so it will be interesting if it comes with any fire. It feels unlikely given the current makeup of Denver’s roster, but given Payton’s penchant for surprises it doesn’t feel like a good idea to rule out the possibility of a Hill return.