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Katherine Terrell, ESPN writer
METAIRIE, La. — New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill will miss the remainder of the season with a torn ACL, interim coach Darren Rizzi announced Monday.
“Taysom has a knee injury. It looks like the season for him is unfortunately going to end. I think he’ll probably get a second opinion on some of this stuff, but it looks like the season is going to end,” Rizzi said.
Hill appeared to take a helmet on his left knee while running for a first down late in a 21-14 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. His knee bent backward awkwardly as he fell to the ground, and he remained on the ground while athletic trainers tended to him.
Teammates and several Rams players knelt on the ground as trainers examined Hill’s leg before calling for a cart. Hill climbed onto the cart as the crowd chanted his name and waved to fans before being ejected from the field.
Rizzi said losing Hill means several players will have to step up to fill all the roles Hill played.
“It’s hard to sit here and tell yourself you’re going to replace Taysom because you can’t,” Rizzi said. “He’s a phenomenal person, a player, a leader, a captain and all those different things. So it’s certainly a big loss, but the only way we can do it is for everyone else to step up.”
This is Hill’s third major injury this season. Hill, 34, was transported to a local hospital during a Week 2 game against the Dallas Cowboys after suffering a chest injury, believed to be a bruised lung.
Hill missed one game with that injury and missed three more games due to rib fractures that caused him to leave a Week 4 game against the Atlanta Falcons in the first half.
Hill has suffered numerous injuries in his eight seasons. He suffered a concussion during the 2021 season and played with a torn ligament in his throwing hand in 2020. That year, he also suffered a left Lisfranc fracture during the season finale (he had a Lisfranc fracture in his right foot in college ).
Hill finishes the season with 39 carries for 278 yards and six touchdowns. He also caught 23 passes for 187 yards and completed 2 of 4 passes this season and also returned a kickoff 42 yards.
Hill has one year left on his contract and Rizzi recently called him “forever” after setting career highs of 230 all-purpose yards, 188 yards from scrimmage, 138 rushing yards, 15 touches and 8 receptions in the team’s win. Saints 35-14. against the Cleveland Browns in Week 11.
“I don’t know if I can compare him to anyone else I’ve coached because I can’t think of a guy who’s been able to do all the different things he’s been able to do in one game. Forget about his career,” he said. Rizzi on Monday. “…I used to joke about the Bugs Bunny thing. Kids see Bugs Bunny doing all the cartoons and he plays all the positions, but there’s really no guy I can sit here and tell you who I can compare him to.” “So, listen, it’s a big loss. It’s not going to take one person to play that role… it’s going to take multiple people to play that role because it’s so multidimensional.”
