The Broncos should aggressively pursue Taysom Hill this offseason

The Denver Broncos need to bring in an X-factor this offseason, and the answer should be Taysom Hill.

The dynamic quarterback / running back / wide receiver / tight end from the New Orleans Saints is exactly the type of player that can flourish in Sean Payton’s offense.

After all, Denver’s head coach has seen it before.

Hill played for Payton from 2017-2021 and did almost everything well. Payton famously used him effectively at a variety of different positions, even taking the ball out of the hands of Drew Brees at times. Many thought it was crazy, as Brees is a future Hall of Famer, but it mostly worked.

In his career, Hill has 27 rushing touchdowns, 11 receiving touchdowns and 11 passing touchdowns. All he does is find the end zone, and he manages to do it with limited playing time. Hill is a gadget player, a jack of all trades and the ultimate utility man.

Touchdowns are something the Broncos have struggled to score, really ever since Peyton Manning retired, so why not add a guy who can run, catch and pass them?

News broke on Tuesday former Saints offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael is joining Payton’s staff. He’ll likely be a senior offensive assistant, and is just the latest member of Payton’s old crew to make the jump from New Orleans to Denver.

Carmichael knows Hill well, just like Payton. Could the stars be aligning for the Broncos to make a run at the 33-year-old?

As 104.3 The Fan and 9NEWS Broncos insider Mike Klis pointed out 13 days ago, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Hill and the Saints part ways. He’s owed $10 million each of the next two seasons, but the money isn’t guaranteed. With almost an entirely new offensive staff coming to New Orleans, they might be looking to go in a different direction.

If Hill’s released outright, the Broncos could bid for him on the open market. They could also try to work a trade, restructuring Hill’s contract to make the money work. The salary cap isn’t going to be Denver’s friend this offseason with the impending release of QB Russell Wilson, but we’ve seen Payton execute cap magic before.

What better way to start a new era, with a rookie QB, than by bringing in Hill? He’d be incredible for someone like Bo Nix, J.J. McCarthy or Michael Penix Jr. to learn from. They could also shared the field at times, as Payton draws up creative formations.

Right now the Broncos are devoid of playmakers. That’s exactly what Hill is. Payton might have envisioned that role for tight end Greg Dulcich in 2023, but he couldn’t stay on the field. Whether or not Dulcich ever gets healthy enough to perform in the NFL remains to be seen.

Just last season, Hill rushed 80 times for 401 yards and four touchdowns. That’s five yards per attempt. He also caught 33 passes for 291 yards. Those were both career highs, both engineered by Carmichael. Hill threw only 11 times, but had as many as 134 attempts in 2021 under Payton. He can still toss the rock.

And the rushing and receiving numbers prove Father Time hasn’t caught up to Hill just yet. In fact, because he hasn’t been an every-down player, Hill might still have more gas left in the tank than most. He could play at a high-level until he’s 37 or 38. That would give Payton a solid three or four more years with Hill.

It’s time for the Broncos to have a more outside the box approach, and Hill is a guy who can do that. When he’s on the field, defenses can only guess what role he’s out there to play.

In what projects to be an underwhelming spring of adding veterans, mostly due to financial reasons, Hill could change that. He’d be a big fish to catch. Now Payton and Carmichael just have to reel him in again.