New Orleans Saints quarterback/Human Swiss Army Knife Taysom Hill was finally healthy enough to make his first start under center in Week 13. The bad news is, his Thursday Night Football performance is likely to be his last start for a while. The NFL’s Ian Rapoport notes the Saints are worried Hill may have suffered a torn tendon in his middle finger during his four-interception loss.
Hill is believed to have suffered the injury while following-through one of his throws during the Cowboys game. Although more tests are in the works, Hill’s injury may eventually require surgery. Notably, the specific injury is actually called “Mallet Finger”.
This is the same ailment that deterred Russell Wilson earlier in the year, forcing the Super Bowl-winning QB to miss the first start of his NFL career. Wilson missed a total of four weeks (three games and a bye) before he recovered enough to get back into the lineup.
If Hill suffers the same fate–mallet finger requiring surgery, his days as the Saints starting quarterback in 2021 may already be finished, just one day after it started. Hill would be the second Saints starting quarterback to suffer a season-ending injury requiring surgery this season after Jameis Winston tore his ACL in Week 8.
For the Saints, it opens a wormhole of questions for the 2022 season. They recently signed Hill to a four-year extension but only got one start at quarterback from him in 2021. Their Week 1 starter, Winston, is set to be an unrestricted free agent after the season concludes.
Now Trevor Siemian will get another chance to better his 0-4 record as the signal-caller for the Saints as they continue to navigate a season that started 5-2 and now is at 5-7. Rookie fourth-round pick Ian Book is the only other quarterback on the roster for the Saints.
