New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill's game-worn jersey, cleats and play-call wristband have been put on display in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio after Hill recorded his 10th receiving touchdown in the Saints' victory over the Chicago Bears on Nov. 5.
Hill's touchdown put him in rather rarefied air as he joined lists exclusively occupied by Hall of Famers. He and Pro Football Hall of Famer Frank Gifford (34 rushing, 43 receiving and 14 passing, from 1952-64) are the only two players in league history to record 25 rushing touchdowns, 10 touchdown passes and 10 touchdown receptions. Even when you lower the totals to 10 rushing touchdowns, 10 passing touchdowns and 10 receiving touchdowns, Hill and Gifford are still only joined by three more, Jimmy Conzelman (13 rushing, 11 receiving, 10 passing, from 1920-29) , Red Grange (21 rushing, 10 receiving, 10 passing, from 1925-34) and Charley Trippi (23 rushing, 11 recieving, 16 passing, from 1957-55), all Hall of Famers in their own right.
Hill hit the marks when he recorded his 10th touchdown reception, a 2-yard pass from quarterback Derek Carr with 6:08 to go in the second quarter against the Bears.
Hill joins such exclusive company due to his unique role that puts him all over the field on offense, as well as special teams.
"That's the uniqueness of Taysom Hill," Saints Coach Dennis Allen said. "In modern-era football, at least in the last 20 to 30 years, I can't really think of anybody that's really been able to do as many different things as he's able to do."
The swiss-army knife role evolved from getting on the field playing special teams and then developed from there according to Saints executive vice president/general manager Mickey Loomis.
"That becomes a product of A: the skill set, and B: the willingness to do whatever it takes to get on the field and to contribute," Loomis said. "And look, Taysom gets an A+ in both those categories. He's got a tremendous skill set and then he's got a tremendous mental ability to contribute in all these areas and a willingness to do it."
Hill's role has given him an incredibly diverse statistical profile as he's racked up numbers across the board in his 7-year career, rushing for 2019 yards and 26 touchdowns, catching 65 receptions for 624 yards and 10 touchdowns, throwing for 2337 yards and 11 touchdowns with a 64.8% completion percentage, made 15 tackles (11 solo), returned 18 kickoffs for 429 yards and blocked two punts in his 91 games played for the Saints.
Hill said he heard of Frank Gifford when he was told about the exclusive company he was about to join before he caught his 10th touchdown reception.
"I look back at my career and I certainly didn't think it would have gone the way that it has," Taysom Hill said. "It's overwhelming when I hear things like that. I have a lot of gratitude to be with this program and play with coaches that are creative enough to give me the opportunity. It is really a whole lot of gratitude."
