Saints Could Stick With Trevor Siemian As Starter, Keep Taysom Hill In Gadget Role

According to Jason La Canfora, Saints QB Trevor Siemian is very much in the discussion to remain as the starting quarterback for the remainder of the season. 

The Saints still have QB Taysom Hill, who competed for the starting job in training camp and who the Saints turned to for a stint as the starter in 2020. 

But La Canfora says Saints HC Sean Payton likes how quickly Siemian processes information and his ability to run some of the quick game throws that became a staple in New Orleans with Drew Brees.

La Canfora doesn’t rule out Payton going back to Hill or switching back and forth between the two, but he points out Payton has said publicly and privately how much he thinks the team benefits from Hill being in his usual jack-of-all-trades role. 

Hill, 31, wound up signing on with the Packers as an undrafted free agent out of BYU back in 2017. He was waived and later claimed off of waivers by the Saints.

Hill has played out the final year of his rookie contract before receiving a restricted tender from the Saints last year. New Orleans later signed Hill to a two-year deal worth $21 million a month later. 

In 2020, Hill appeared in all 16 games for the Saints and completed 72.7 percent of his passes for 928 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed for 457 yards and eight touchdowns.

So far in 2021, Hill has appeared in six games, completing five of six passes for 45 yards and an interception, rushing 17 times for 81 yards and three touchdowns, and catching three of four targets for 37 yards. 

Siemian, 29, is a former seventh-round pick of the Broncos back in 2015. Denver traded him to the Vikings in 2018 for a fifth-round pick.

Siemian played out the final year of his four-year, $2.33 million contract before agreeing to a one-year contract with the Jets worth $2 million.

He was later brought in by the Titans in 2020 to compete for the backup quarterback job but was eventually waived and added to the team’s practice squad. The Saints later signed Siemian to their active roster following an injury to Drew Brees. 

He signed with the Saints’ practice squad last year and re-signed to a one-year deal this offseason. He was later added to the Saints practice squad coming out of the preseason before signing him to the active roster. 

In 2021, Siemian has appeared in two games and completed 58.6 percent of his passes for 408 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions.

We’ll have more on the Saints’ quarterback situation as the news is available.