NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Taysom Hill, a former BYU quarterback who evolved into a productive multi-position player for the New Orleans Saints, has announced that he won't be returning to the team with which he spent his first nine NFL seasons.
Whether Hill — the only player in the NFL's Super Bowl era to amass 1,000 or more yards passing, rushing and receiving — continues to play professional football remains to be seen. He did not announce his retirement.
“I’ve taken time this offseason to think carefully about what comes next for my family and me,” Hill said in a social media post Wednesday night. “I still don’t have a clear answer about what the future holds, but I know that returning to New Orleans is not in the cards."
Hill's announcement was largely anticipated; he sold his New Orleans-area home during the offseason and had not signed an extension with the Saints after becoming a free agent in March.
Soon after Hill's post, the Saints posted a highlight video, narrated by record-setting, Hall of Fame-bound quarterback Drew Brees, thanking Hill for his contributions to the franchise.
On the eve of training camp, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis said he had spoken to Hill, but wanted to keep those conversations private for the time being. The uncertainty surrounding those conversations lasted little more than a day.
“As training camp begins, I didn’t want my silence to be misinterpreted," Hill said. "As hard as it is to put into words, I wanted to express my gratitude. To the city of New Orleans: thank you.”
Hill's NFL career began as an undrafted free-agent QB with Green Bay during the 2017 offseason. When he was waived at the end of training camp, the Saints, then coached by Sean Payton, claimed him.
Payton, now coaching the Denver Broncos, initially planed to groom Hill as a possible successor to Brees at QB. But not wanting to let the 6-foot-2, 220-pound Hill's athleticism go to waste, the Saints decided to try him out on special teams as a returner, an upback on punts and covering kicks.
After Hill proved effective in those roles, he became a change-of-pace, running QB who also chipped in at running back, tight end and receiver, earning him the moniker of the Saints' “Swiss Army Knife.”
“You didn't know where they were going to line him up,” said Saints linebacker Kaden Ellis, who played against Hill while with Atlanta the past three seasons. “And then, when he gets the ball, it's a whole other issue.”
Saints coach Kellen Moore said Hill's success led other clubs to explore whether they could incorporate a versatile skill player into their offenses in similar ways.
“Everyone for the last few years has been chasing — let's find the next Taysom — and there's really just one Taysom,” Moore said.
While Hill never won a full-time starting QB job, he started nine times because of injuries. The Saints went 7-2 in those games.
Hill now has career statistics of 2,554 yards and 34 touchdowns rushing; 2,426 yards and 12 TDs passing; and 1,034 yards and 11 touchdowns receiving. In 2023, Hill became the first NFL player in half a century to have 10 touchdowns rushing, passing and receiving.
During his final home game for the Saints, Hill surpassed the career 1,000 yard mark as a receiver and also threw a touchdown pass. He waved goodbye to fans as he left the field after the game, saying he wasn't sure if he'd play in the Superdome again.
If he does, it'll be in a different uniform.
“Taysom’s career to this point as a member of the Saints organization has been remarkable in all facets,” Loomis said in a statement. “His intelligence, unique athletic ability, versatility and unselfishness have benefited this team in many facets for the past nine seasons. Additionally, he’s been a great teammate, excellent leader and mentor."
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FILE - New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill (7) reacts after an NFL football game against the New York Jets, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Tyler Kaufman, File)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — After a bruising World Cup defeat gave way to what many Argentines saw as a sweeping wave of hatred against their country, Argentine President Javier Milei on Thursday signed an emergency decree empowering the government to deny entry to or expel foreigners who incite discrimination or violence against Argentines because of their nationality.
Milei’s office cast the decree as a response to weeks of criticism from celebrities, opposing fans and social media users after controversial refereeing decisions fueled speculation that FIFA had tilted the soccer tournament in favor of the Argentina team and superstar Lionel Messi. Detractors directed their anger about occasionally aggressive Argentine fans and the team’s roughhousing on the pitch not only at players but increasingly at Argentine society as a whole.
The measure adds new grounds to Argentina’s immigration law, allowing authorities to bar, deport and revoke visas of people found to have promoted hatred against Argentines in spoken or written statements or who have desecrated national symbols.
“In light of recent displays of hostility toward the Argentine Republic and Argentines, the national government reaffirms that the defense of the nation, its citizens and its symbols is non-negotiable,” the president’s office said. “Anyone who attacks the Argentine Republic is not welcome in our country.”
It's a shift for a country that has long prided itself on welcoming immigrants. Argentina’s Constitution explicitly encourages immigration, and for decades the country has offered foreigners broad civil rights and relatively easy access to legal residency, public education and health care.
Milei, however, has introduced tougher immigration measures that have raised the bar for permanent residency and expanded government powers to deport foreigners accused of crimes, often publicizing the moves with rhetoric similar to that of the Trump administration.
The widespread scorn for Argentina has played on long-standing stereotypes, particularly in Latin America, that Argentines view themselves as culturally and economically superior to their neighbors, in part due to the large share of the population descended from European immigrants. The backlash intensified when Argentina players and staff attacked their Spanish opponents in a post-match brawl after the World Cup final. Online petitions to expel Argentina from the World Cup drew hundreds of thousands of signatures.
FIFA, global soccer's governing body, on Wednesday opened disciplinary proceedings against the Argentine Football Association over the scuffle, as well as over alleged racist abuse and fan misconduct. Players also faced a FIFA investigation into their parading of a banner that asserted Argentina’s claim to the British-controlled Falkland Islands after the team's semifinal victory over England.
Milei, a close ally of U.S. President Donald Trump, has described the torrent of criticism as a coordinated “anti-Argentina campaign.” He alleged without evidence last week that the left-wing governments of Brazil and Mexico and the U.S. Democratic Party had financed the campaign to undermine his right-wing libertarian administration. That helped trigger a diplomatic crisis with neighboring Brazil, which recalled its ambassador to Argentina over the accusations and Milei's insults against Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Thursday's decree says the punishments don't apply to ideological disagreement or political, academic or civic criticism protected under Argentina’s Constitution.
But it leaves unanswered how officials will distinguish protected speech from prohibited hate speech, whether immigration authorities will review foreigners’ social media activity and how aggressively the new powers will be enforced against tourists and longtime residents.
“Who and how will apply those grounds? How will it be determined that a person has engaged in such ambiguous assumptions as a 'hate message' toward the country or our population?” asked Maximiliano Ferraro, an opposition lawmaker, criticizing the decree as an unnecessary political gimmick.
"While the government wraps itself in Argentina’s sky-blue-and-white national colors for publicity, many of the policies it promotes are little more than exclusionary nationalist theater."
An Argentina fan wearing a mask depicting Lionel Messi gathers outside the Argentine Football Association headquarters while waiting for the national team to arrive in Ezeiza, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Monday, July 20, 2026, following its World Cup final loss to Spain. (AP Photo/Rodrigo Abd)
Argentina fans hold a photo of Lionel Messi as they gather outside the Argentine Football Association headquarters and wait for the national team to arrive in Ezeiza, on the outskirts of Buenos Aires, Monday, July 20, 2026, following its World Cup final loss to Spain. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)
Argentina's President Javier Milei arrives at Congress for the inauguration of Peru's new President Keiko Fujimori in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, July 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Miguel Paredes)
Argentina's President Javier Milei, left, talks to Bolivia's President Rodrigo Paz the inauguration of Peru's new President Keiko Fujimori in Lima, Peru, Tuesday, July 28, 2026.(AP Photo/Guadalupe Pardo, Pool)
