February 17th, 2020 at 3:28pm CST by Zachary Links
Free agent Teddy Bridgewater, in all likelihood, will be leaving the Saints this offseason. When he hits the open market next month, multiple teams expect him to attract interest as a starting quarterback option or, at minimum, a bridge to a younger QB, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com hears (via Twitter).
Assuming Drew Brees returns for another season, the Saints are expected to move forward with Taysom Hill as the future Hall of Famer’s backup. In that scenario, Bridgewater would be priced out of New Orleans. Plenty of other clubs see Bridgewater as a top option and the 27-year-old (28 in November) would likely relish the opportunity to run his own show once again.
The Saints went 5-0 with Bridgewater under center while Brees was out, but they seem more tantalized by the ability of Hill, another athletic quarterback who is on the cusp of his 30th birthday. Hill, who has flashed with his catching ability, has thrown just 13 passes over the course of his career to Bridgewater’s 1,070 throws as a pro.
In his nine total appearances last year, Bridgewater completed 67.9% of his passes with nine touchdowns against just two interceptions. He’s also respected league-wide as a locker room leader and an all-around positive influence. Years removed from his devastating injury in Minnesota, Bridgewater has the shown the ability to do much more than hold the clipboard as a third-string afterthought.
February 16th, 2020 at 3:14pm CST by Marc Delucchi
Saints quarterback/athlete Taysom Hill has been the center of quite a bit of early offseason buzz. While the free-agent quarterback class is highlighted by the likes of Tom Brady and Drew Brees, a third-string quarterback, who threw just 14 passes last season, has dominated conversations. Hill has sparked a fervent debate around whether he has a future as a franchise quarterback, or is just a valuable weapon to deploy in certain packages. In an in-depth look at the situation, Katherine Terrell of The Athletic, dives into his circumstances and makes the case for Hill.
Here are some more quarterback notes from around the league:
Some early offseason murmurs suggested that Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford could be on the trade block. Detroit general manager Bob Quinn was quick to shoot down the reports. Of course, it would not be the first time a personnel official has denied a player’s availability before subsequently moving them. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press analyzes the decision from all angles to make the case in favor and against keeping Stafford.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports argues that the Buccaneers need to find a way to keep free-agent quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston, of course, became just the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions (joining Vinny Testaverde). There’s no denying that Winston has had his flashes on the field, but a history of off-field issues and a historic propensity for turnovers make the decision far from straight forward.
February 12th, 2020 at 4:29pm CST by Marc Delucchi
As teams gear up for an offseason of roster maneuvering, teams are beginning to the arduous process of lining up their salary caps to retain key players on expiring contracts, sign free agents, and their draft picks. Teams are forced to make especially difficult salary-cap decisions when they have a chance at an elite player through free agency.
While many of the top players currently set for free agency will surely sign an extension with their current team or receive either the franchise or transition tag, it is always a fun exercise to examine who is currently the best player set to be available through unrestricted free agency.
It’s no secret that this year’s offseason will be dominated by quarterback storylines. Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston, and Teddy Bridgewater are all set to be unrestricted free agents and had success as starters last season. Yet, none of them have the pedigree of future Hall of Famers Drew Brees and Tom Brady, the combination of youth and sustained success like Dak Prescott, or match the recent performance of Ryan Tannehill.
Brady has obviously asserted himself as one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time over his Patriots career, but he will be 43 before the start of next season and looked abnormally average at the close of this season. New England finished the season with back-to-back losses to finish out the regular season (against the 5-11 Dolphins) and in the first round of the playoffs (at home against the Titans).
Brady played a role in both losses, completing just 36 of his 66 attempts (good for a 54.5% completion percentage) for 430 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. At the same time, Brady amassed over 4,000 passing yards for the third consecutive season and produced his best touchdown-to-interception ratio (24 to 8) since 2017.
Brees is in a similar boat. He’ll be 41 next season, but just led the league in completion percentage for the third consecutive season and posted the best touchdown-to-interception ratio of his career. With that said, the Saints did not look much different in the 5 games Brees missed early in the season with backup Teddy Bridgewater in his place.
Prescott has been surrounded by the hoopla of quarterbacking America’s Team, but the Cowboys signal-caller has taken consistent strides under the bright lights. At just 26 last season, Prescott fell just 98 yards shy of reaching the 5000-yard mark. He set a career-high with 30 touchdown throws and even while throwing a career-high 596 attempts, was sacked a career-low 23 times.
Of course, unlike Brees and Brady, Prescott has yet to reach the historic status they both already have. In fact, Prescott has yet to play in a conference championship game. Furthermore, his career year this season came while Dallas struggled to an 8-8 record in a wide-open NFC East. Does he deserve credit for performing despite a difficult surrounding, or was he responsible for the team’s struggles?
Finally, one of the most interesting stories of the season surrounded the quarterback position in Tennessee. Many around the league scoffed when the Titans benched Marcus Mariota for Ryan Tannehill. It seemed like they were just replacing one disappointing quarterback with another. However, the once highly regarded prospect led the Titans to a 7-3 surge to close the regular season, upset the Patriots in the first round of the playoffs, and almost upset the eventual Super Bowl champion Chiefs.
Tannehill threw for 2742 yards in just 10 regular season starts, throwing 22 touchdowns and just 6 interceptions. He led the league in yards per attempt (9.6) and quarterback rating (117.5) while helping young wideout A.J. Brown emerge as one of the best receivers in football. However, it’s fair to wonder how much of Tannehill’s success was a side-effect of a fantastic run game (led by Derrick Henry) and his receivers (like Brown). With the shortest resume of the group, Tannehill surely represents the largest risk but may have one of the highest rewards.
With all that said, what do you think? Who is the best unrestricted free agent quarterback this offseason? Submit your answer in the poll below and voice in your opinion in the comments.
The Taysom Hill momentum has continued to the point Sean Payton expects his gadget quarterback to receive an offer sheet, perhaps even if the Saints apply a first-round RFA tender to Hill.
Drew Brees has not confirmed he will return yet, but signs point to the league’s all-time passing kingpin coming back for his age-41 season. The Saints, assuming they can retain Hill, would have a chance to prepare for a potential Brees-to-Hill transition plan. If the Saints tender Hill as a first-rounder and do not match an offer sheet, they would receive that team’s 2020 first-round pick.
“Yeah, I think someone is going to make him an offer,” Payton said during an appearance on The Peter King Podcast (via NBC Sports). “But the first thing the fan has to understand is … if we tender Taysom as a one, the team that makes the offer on him and signs him to an offer understands they’re going to give up a first-round pick if we don’t match. That’s easier to do if you’re pick 22, 23, 24, 25. We might very well see it if it’s a team in the second half of the [first round].”
Even being tendered at the first-round level would represent a remarkable rise for Hill, a 29-year-old ex-UDFA with 13 career regular-season pass attempts. Hill, however, has proven immensely valuable for New Orleans. He’s frequently taken snaps and either logged carries or given handoffs to Saints running backs in what’s been a more complex New Orleans ground game. Hill also caught six touchdown passes this past season.
Despite only entering his fourth season, the BYU alum will turn 30 before Week 1. He believes he has franchise-quarterback talent and wants to play for a team that categorizes him as such.
“I definitely view myself as a franchise quarterback,” Hill said, via the Associated Press’ Rob Maadi (audio link). “I think as you look at the other questions — is it New Orleans? Is it somewhere else? — as you go into free agency, this is the time that you start to find out how people view you.
“… I think as you get to free agency there’s no denying that I love my time in New Orleans. I love coach Payton; I love [OC] Pete Carmichael. Do I want to leave? The fact of the matter is, no, I don’t. But as you look at free agency, you have to find the right opportunity for you. You have to find the situation to take care of your family. I want to play quarterback in this league, and if New Orleans doesn’t view me that way, then I have to leave.”
A first-round tender will likely bump Hill’s salary north of $5MM next season. Payton has said it is unrealistic to bring back Brees, Hill and Teddy Bridgewater for next season. Given all that’s come out of New Orleans early this offsason, Hill is probably the best bet to be Brees’ backup in 2020 — if the 19-year veteran returns. Hill is due to be an unrestricted free agent in 2021.
Super Bowl LIV is in the books, which means the order for the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft is set. By virtue of their 31-20 win Sunday night, the Chiefs will have the final pick in the first round. The 49ers dropping to 5-2 in Super Bowls will result in the NFC champions approaching the podium at No. 31.
February 2nd, 2020 at 7:27pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg
There’s been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the Saints’ quarterback situation recently. The consensus seems to be that New Orleans envisions Taysom Hill taking over as their starter in 2021, but that they’d like Drew Brees back for a bridge year.
Given that Brees is facing the possibility of splitting more snaps with Hill and recent comments that he made indicating he’s seriously considering retirement, it seemed very much up in the air whether or not he’d return. That being said, the tide seems to be turning back toward him coming back for one more run at another Super Bowl. Brees is expected by people around him and the team to play in 2020, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter video link).
Garafolo cautions that it’s not 100 percent, but that it’s the “educated guess” of everybody around the situation. Head coach Sean Paytonrecently admitted it was “unrealistic” to bring back Teddy Bridgewater with Brees and Hill, which could indicate he expects to have his 41-year-old passer.
His numbers were still very solid in 2019, but seemingly everyone has acknowledged that the end is near. He’s said he won’t play anywhere other than New Orleans, so it sounds like 2020 will definitely be his last season if he does play. Brees was sidelined for an extended period due to injury for the first time since 2003 this past season, as he missed five games due to a torn ligament in his thumb.
Bridgewater turned down a chance to become the Dolphins starter last year, instead re-signing with the Saints on a one-year deal worth $7.25MM. The former first-round pick again is free agency-bound, but Sean Payton does not appear to envision another year with the Brees-Bridgewater-Hill troika together. The 14-year Saints coach said it is “unrealistic” to bring all three back, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Although Bridgewater helped the Saints to a 5-0 mark as a starter while Brees recovered from injury, the 27-year-old passer may be closer to one of the free agency dominoes than set for another year as Brees’ backup. The priority appears to be Hill, who is a restricted free agent.
If Brees comes back to start a possible multiyear transition to Hill, the Saints are expected to place a first-round RFA tender on the latter, Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN note. The 2019 first-round tender price was $4.4MM.
It would represent a remarkable rise for the ex-UDFA to receive the rare first-round tender, and it may remain a slight stretch to envision Hill becoming a surefire quarterback option. The unique passing-rushing-receiving weapon has only thrown 13 career passes. The prospect of a 2021 Brees-to-Hill transition makes more sense because sources informed Fowler and Graziano that Hill may not be ready to handle being New Orleans’ starter in 2020. This would shift the focus to Brees, whose retirement talk is believed to be genuine.
A BYU alum, Hill will turn 30 before Week 1 of next season. Brees recently turned 41. Brees has said he is not going anywhere else; the future first-ballot Hall of Famer will play for the Saints in 2020 or retire.
January 31st, 2020 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links
Saints quarterback Drew Brees says he isn’t bothered by the prospect of ceding snaps to Taysom Hill (Twitter link via Chris Simms of PFT). Brees is still deciding whether he’ll return for another season, but a larger role for Hill won’t dissuade him from playing.
“If I’m back, and Taysom’s along side me, call the plays that puts us in the best position to win. If that means Taysom Hill is taking 30 snaps a game, 25 snaps a game, so be it. I’m all for that,” Brees said.
Brees, of course, has nothing left to prove in the NFL and has already earned more money than he could ever hope to spend. Over the next month or so, he’ll weigh his options, which include a potential career in broadcasting.
Brees completed a league-high 74.3% of his passes in 2019, marking his third straight year at the top of the category. In his injury-shortened eleven-game campaign, he threw for 2,979 yards with 27 touchdowns against just four interceptions. In the regular season finale against the Colts, Brees connected on 29 of 30 passes and set the NFL’s new record for touchdown throws.
January 28th, 2020 at 11:53am CST by Zachary Links
Saints quarterback Drew Brees is giving serious thought to retirement, PFT’s Mike Florio hears. The Saints, obviously, want the future Hall of Famer to return, but a source tells PFT that the club wants him back for what would essentially amount to a bridge year. In 2021, they envision Taysom Hill taking over as the team’s starter.
If Brees returns for a 15th season, he’d be the starter, but he’d also yield some spotlight and snaps to Hill. That plan may or may not suit Brees, who could walk away from the game with his fortune and still earn plenty more off the field, perhaps as a TV analyst.
Meanwhile, the Saints have some offseason work to do when it comes to Hill and Teddy Bridgewater. Hill will be a restricted free agent in March and another club could conceivably match their offer sheet, even at the first-round level. Bridgewater, who is beloved in New Orleans and all around the NFL, could be lured away by an opportunity to start with a contract befitting of a QB1.
Brees, 41, completed a league-high 74.3% of his passes in 2019, marking his third straight year at the top of the category. In his injury-shortened eleven-game campaign, he tallied 2,979 yards with 27 touchdowns against just four interceptions. The wild card round against the Vikings didn’t go as planned, but Brees did cap off the regular season in remarkable fashion by completing 29 of 30 passes against the Colts and setting the NFL’s new record for touchdown throws.
The Saints are reuniting with old friend Tommylee Lewis by signing him to a reserve/futures deal, as Katherine Terrell of The Athletic reports (via Twitter). Lewis signed with New Orleans as an undrafted free agent in May 2016 and spent the 2016-18 campaigns with the club.
However, the Saints opted against giving him a restricted free agent tender last offseason, so Lewis signed with the Lions. Detroit cut him prior to the start of the regular season, and he was out of football entirely in 2019, despite auditioning for the Bills and Bucs.
But he will be back in the game shortly. The Northern Illinois product was selected by the XFL’s Dallas Renegades in the league’s October draft, and Dallas’ season will start on February 9. If the team advances to the XFL championship, Lewis may miss some practice time with the Saints. The championship game is slated for April 26, but New Orleans can begin its offseason workouts on April 20.
Lewis, a wide receiver by trade, has 20 career receptions, but he’s spent the majority of his pro career on special teams. Lewis averaged 22 yards on kick returns and 9.3 yards on punt returns during his stint in New Orleans. The 27-year-old is perhaps best known for being the intended receiver on the infamous non-pass interference call in the 2018 NFC Championship Game that denied the Saints a chance at a Super Bowl title.
