In the wake of Drew Brees absence Taysom Hill, 30, has taken over the reins of the 9-2 New Orleans Saints.

Drew Brees, the Hall of Fame quarterback and long time starter of the New Orleans Saints, broke his ribs a few weeks ago against the 49ers and will be out for 2-3 weeks.

“Drew felt strong enough about letting me know and I know when he does that, which is probably gonna be the first time in 15 years, that it was significant enough where he felt like he couldn’t function in the second half,” Coach Sean Payton said.

Taysom is a former BYU Cougar and has been in the league since 2017 has just signed a one year contract worth 16 million dollars.  He has been called the “Swiss Army Knife” of football for his versatility, playing many positions on the offensive side as well as some on the special teams unit.

“Sean just wants to know,” said one source with a deep knowledge of Payton’s thinking.

He wants to know if Taysom can take over the New Orleans Saints after Brees retires.

“ There’s every chance that this will be the New Orleans Saints quarterback’s last season,” says Adam Schefter of Brees.

Brees who is in his 20th NFL season has been injured twice in two years and has been dropping in numbers.

Last Sunday morning, Payton told ESPN that Hill “deserves this opportunity,” noting that “We’ve had a chance to see him play that position a lot more than anyone else. When the fans have seen him, he’s been in a different role.”

Even though Drew Brees was not out in the black and gold last Sunday his presence is still felt.

“ Drew was with me every step of the way” Taysom says.

The Saints played the Denver Broncos this Sunday and won 31-3 and will play the  Falcons again on December 6, giving ample opportunities for their new quarterback to show his skills and prove if he has what it will take to be the next starter for the New Orleans Saints.

“You know what people think of him—they think he’s a runner,” Payton said, “ I think he’s a quarterback. And I wanted him to play quarterback early.”