Since he became head coach of the Denver Broncos back in 2023, Sean Payton has brought a wide variety of ex-New Orleans Saints with him to the Mile High City. From coaches to players, and even some front office connections, the pipeline between Denver and New Orleans is a strong one dating back to 2023.
Because of that, just about any Saints player that becomes available almost automatically becomes connected to the Denver Broncos. One player whose name has popped up more than most in recent years is tight end/offensive weapon Taysom Hill, who recently announced that he would not be returning to the Saints for his 10th NFL season.
As soon as that announcement was made, there was speculation about whether or not Hill would continue his NFL career in 2026 as a member of the Denver Broncos, reuniting with Payton for the first time since 2021.
Sean Payton told NFL Network that the Broncos will explore bringing in Hill, a move that makes too much sense to ignore.
Denver Broncos will apparently look into bringing in veteran Taysom Hill
Broncos Coach Sean Payton told @cfrelund Cynthia Frelund and me today that the Broncos will explore bringing in free agent tight end Taysom Hill, who played for Payton with the Saints.
— Steve Wyche (@wyche89) August 1, 2026
Sean Payton molded Taysom Hill into one of the NFL's most interesting players from 2017-2024. Of course, Payton wasn't coaching Hill every single one of those years, but the vision for such a dynamic athlete came to fruition in a really unique way.
We saw an entire offensive package created for Hill while he was a member of the New Orleans Saints, and he was a significant weapon for them. He has 45 career rushing and receiving touchdowns, 12 career passing touchdowns, and even 489 career kickoff return yards.
He's been one of the most versatile players in the NFL, logging over 2,500 offensive snaps in his career with the Saints as well as over 1,200 special teams snaps.
Hill's familiarity with the coaching staff in Denver is enough to make at least a training camp look-see make sense, but the Broncos are obviously in pursuit of a Super Bowl, and will take any competitive edge they can get.
Hill may not be the same player he once was, but if he can provide the Broncos with depth at the tight end position, a special teams option, and someone who can help them in short-yardage situations? That would be a relatively low-risk, high-reward move worth signing up for.
At this stage of his career, Hill isn't going to be signed to be a featured piece of the offense. His role is clearly defined, and this is a coaching staff that knows exactly how to use him. If he's going to continue playing football in 2026 -- and that appears to be the case -- then the Broncos are one of the few teams that would make complete sense.
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