JACKSON: Hill’s injury bigger loss for Saints than Rams outcome

By Ross Jackson

NEW ORLEANS — Every loss hurts. But this loss to the Los Angeles Rams feels like one that will sting for the rest of the season for the New Orleans Saints. Not just because of the 21-14 score, but instead because of the loss of tight end Taysom Hill.

The do-it-all offensive weapon is suspected to have suffered a season-ending knee injury, per NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport. With further tests on the way, if that proves to be true it is going to be a huge hit to the Saints’ offense and special teams units for the rest of the year. It also calls into question a couple of important elements for New Orleans.

First of all being how the Saints produce on offense for the remainder of the season without him. Just when it felt like New Orleans had really figured something out with Hill’s versatility and usage, they will now have to figure out life without him again. 

If Hill ends up no longer being available for the team, the Saints’ offensive weapons become very limited. Running back Alvin Kamara becomes the lone go-to while the team searches from a home run connection here and there between quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling. That game plan may not be consistent enough to win enough games to keep the team’s unlikely playoff path alive.

The next question becomes the future of Hill and the Saints. While he has had another remarkable year all over the field, injuries continue to pile up for him. At 34-years-old, can the Saints really continue to build an offensive attack around him reliably? It’s unfortunate to say so, but it doesn’t seem likely.

Moveover, with a head coach change on the way, that could mean a new offensive play caller in 2025. Even though offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has brought a lot of promise, the deciding factor for his potential departure this offseason has very little to do with his performance and instead everything to do with what a new head coach may want. The next coach could be an offensive play caller or have a specific option they would like to work with instead.

If Kubiak is not the offensive coordinator in 2025, there is no guarantee that Hill’s role will fit with a new mind, scheme and system. 

It’s a disappointing truth, but a truth nonetheless that this injury could severely change the future of Hill and the Saints. Beyond the overwhelming challenges of the now, the challenges of the future are even harder to project.

Hill is under contract for next year and, thanks to repeated restructures in recent seasons, his dead cap hit if the Saints move on far outweighs potential savings. So there’s a solid chance that even if his role isn’t the same, that he is still on the roster in 2025. But the impactful responsibilities for the team may look very different under new leadership. And that alone could cause a very stark shift for the do-it-all tight end and the team that has put him on Hall of Fame radars.