Taysom Hill views himself as a franchise quarterback, wants to be with a team that views him that way

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Despite the obvious and uncanny skill set of Saints master-of-all-trades Taysom Hill, plenty seem to be skeptical as to whether he can be a franchise quarterback. Taysom Hill is not.

“I definitely view myself as a franchise quarterback,” Hill told Rob Maadi of the Associated Press during Super Bowl week.

The Saints view Hill that way, too. The question becomes whether another team will make Hill a restricted free-agency offer the Saints can’t or won’t match, accepting a first-round pick as compensation for him.

“Do I want to leave?” Hill said. “The fact of the matter is no. But as you look at free agency, you have to find the right opportunity for you. You have to find the situation to take care of your family. I want to play quarterback in this league. If New Orleans don’t view me that why, well then I have to leave.”

That last response suggests that Hill won’t be signing an offer sheet that makes him a well-paid gadget player, say in the range of $10 million per year. Instead, he wants to find a team that regards him as a franchise quarterback and pays him accordingly.

So it currently looks like he’ll either sign an offer sheet that pays him like a franchise quarterback or he’ll take $6 million or so for 2020 and then become eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2021, subject to the franchise or transition tag.