One of Sean Payton's favorites unlikely to end up with Broncos

In case you were holding out hope that the Denver Broncos might be trading for New Orleans Saints "tight end" Taysom Hill in the 2023 NFL offseason, it seems like you might as well move on. Taysom Hill has been one of Sean Payton's favorite players through the years, and quite frankly, it's bordering on miraculous that we've seen Hill have the kind of success that he has in the NFL.

Hill has always had a gift for running the ball, but guys like him simply don't really carve out a niche in today's NFL. They certainly don't make it as quarterbacks. From 2020-2021, Hill started nine games for the Saints and the team had a 7-2 record in those games.

So why is he not likely to come to the Denver Broncos? Well, Hill recently restructured his contract with the Saints which makes a trade borderline impossible.

Potential Taysom Hill trade to the Denver Broncos all but impossible

"The Saints would have to fork over an additional $15,826,000 in salary cap penalties if they traded Hill before June 1 after this restructure, meaning he would be going to another team and leaving behind $22,695,000 in dead money on New Orleans’ spreadsheet. Denver would have to pay a ridiculously steep price in draft picks to make that worthwhile for the Saints. It just isn’t realistic, and it ensures Hill will stay in New Orleans for the immediate future."

- John Sigler, The Saints Wire

The Denver Broncos simply can't focus their future NFL Draft capital on someone like Taysom Hill. As great as it would be to see him in Denver if he were a free agent, putting the draft picks and finances forward required right now to get him would be irresponsible. Perhaps Sean Payton could find someone else in free agency or the 2023 NFL Draft that could bring some similar things to the table as Hill, someone like TCU's Max Duggan, BYU's Jaren Hall, or Shepherd's Tyson Bagent. And there are others.

Obviously it was a little tongue in cheek, but Sean Payton did talk before he was hired by the Denver Broncos about bringing Taysom Hill with him to his next NFL stop. Perhaps in the 2024 offseason we'll see Hill reunite with Payton in Denver. For now, the Broncos are going to have an opportunity to upgrade the roster with other backup QB options.