Drew Brees still the one to lead Saints as Taysom Hill waits in the wings

Is he coming back?

Yes, I think so.

However, if Drew Brees announces his retirement instead, the timeline on Taysom Hill becoming the Saints starting quarterback is moved up, considerably.

During Super Bowl week, New Orleans head coach Sean Payton created a stir when asked if Hill be a starting quarterback in the NFL?

“Absolutely, absolutely,” said Payton. “Sooner than later, he’s going to be a starting quarterback in our league,” Payton told Fox Sports.

The infatuation with Hill is understandable. He runs by and over tacklers. The BYU product can play quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end and special teams.

In a late season win at Atlanta, Hill blocked a Falcons punt, caught a touchdown pass and ran for another score.

New Orleans has Taysom Hill fever and no one apparently has it more than Payton, who may be ready to hand Hill the job after one more year as an apprentice to Brees.

Will Hill be a quality NFL starter?

Who knows?

The Saints may think they have an inkling, but that is a hard thing to project when a quarterback has thrown 13 passes in his NFL career and has completed six.

Yet, there are thousands of Saints fans who are ready to turn the page from Brees after the Saints lost in overtime in the playoffs to Minnesota.

In that game, Brees was 26 of 33 passing, but he did throw an interception and cough up a fourth quarter fumble that snuffed out what could have been a critical Saints scoring drive.

By the way, after returning from a right thumb injury that required surgery, Brees finished the season with 27 touchdown passes and just four interceptions. He completed 74.3 percent of his passes in 2019.

“Regular season stats,” one Saints fan recently told me.

Cool.

So, do you want at least one more year of the quarterback who has thrown 547 career touchdown passes and completed 6,867 NFL passes?

Or, are you ready to turn the page to a guy who is fast and versatile but totally unproven?

Over his 14 seasons with the Saints, Brees has shown the ability to consistently make the correct decision and throw with uncanny accuracy.

At a recent Saints game, an accomplished quarterback who shall remain nameless stopped a reporter and said the following about Brees.

“The way he moves safeties and then makes a perfect throw is amazing,” he said.

Months later, as No. 9 ponders retirement, I am amazed at how many think that would be a good thing.