Sean Payton has long said that he would trade for Taysom Hill should he sign with another team. So now that he has been traded to Denver and agreed to be the next head coach of the Broncos, can the Saints entice him to trade for his golden boy? Let’s explore some options for a trade involving Hill and the Broncos.

Trade for draft picks

The Saints could keep it simple and seek to acquire an extra draft pick or two from the Broncos in exchange for Hill. The Broncos don’t have a 2nd round pick this season either due to their trade for Russell Wilson, but they do have an extra 3rd round pick they picked up from the Colts. Both the Broncos 3rd rounders are in the top 5 in the round, so acquiring one of them for Taysom Hill could land the Saints a quality player in the draft. The Broncos may not be willing to give up a top 70 pick for Hill, but if there is anyone who would overpay for the versatile player it would be Sean Payton. The Broncos other draft picks this year are numbers 108, 140, 194, and 247 overall.

Trade for a role player

The Saints could also seek to acquire a player for depth purposes or to fill some holes on the roster in return for Hill. Players such as Chase Edmonds and Latavius Murray would be decent targets to fill out the RB2 role this season behind Alvin Kamara. The Broncos also have some good pieces on the defensive line like defensive tackle DJ Jones or defensive end Dre’Mont Jones that could be sought to fill in as a potential replacement for David Onyemata or Marcus Davenport.

Photo by Dustin Bradford/Getty Images

Tim Patrick could be a potential target in a trade involving Taysom Hill

However, I think the Saints would be best served seeking either WR KJ Hamler or Tim Patrick in a one for one trade for Taysom Hill. The Broncos are deep at WR with both Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy ahead of Hamler and Patrick on the depth chart, and Sean Payton could seek to use this surplus of talent to acquire his favorite player. Hamler probably has the better upside due to being much younger, but I would lean towards trading for Patrick as I feel he is a better fit for this team. Hamler is a WR who plays much like Chris Olave whereas Patrick is much more of a big body receiver. He did tear his ACL at the beginning of the season but his surgery took place 6 months ago so he should be ready to go by training camp. Patrick had the best two years of his career in 2020 and 2021, catching 104 passes for 1,476 yards and 11 touchdowns as a WR3 over the last two years. With the potential departures of Michael Thomas and Jarvis Landry looming, the Saints acquiring Tim Patrick could provide them with a reliable WR2 under contract going forward.

Part of a larger deal

The Saints could also try and package Taysom with other assets as part of a deal to acquire one of the Broncos better players. Players like safety Justin Simmons and left tackle Garett Bolles would instantly improve the Saints defense and offensive line. The Broncos of course would be very reluctant to trade their best defensive player or best offensive lineman, but if the Saints are willing to part with some big pieces and throw Hill in as a sweetener it may be possible.

Michael Thomas or the newly acquired 1st round pick going back to Denver might be able to get it done if the Broncos want to add yet another weapon to the offense for Russell Wilson and Sean Payton. Bolles spent much of last year on IR and the Broncos may be content with moving on if it means they get a first round pick or Thomas in return. The Saints could also seek to grab a day 3 pick in the draft along with Bolles or Simmons if they feel it necessary to complete the deal.

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