Payton: Brees' successor 'potentially is in the building'

The New Orleans Saints believe they'll be secure at quarterback in 2020 even though they don't have any under contract and are waiting on a retirement decision from Drew Brees.

New Orleans received contributions at quarterback from Brees, Teddy Bridgewater, and Taysom Hill in 2019, all of whom are pending free agents.

"It's gonna be hard for us to have all three of those guys back on the same roster, that's gonna be very difficult," head coach Sean Payton acknowledged Thursday on ESPN. "Taysom's a restricted free agent so that means there's a little bit more of a built-in protection for us. Once Drew makes a decision, then we'll be better able to look at both Taysom and Teddy.

"Teddy went 5-0 for us, and Taysom we've been playing on every position other than (quarterback), so he meets in the special teams room and he's unique. But look, we feel like that heir apparent potentially is in the building as well."

The Saints' first choice at quarterback next season is Brees, who's expected to determine his playing future about a month after Super Bowl LIV. Payton said he spoke to the 41-year-old as recently as the Pro Bowl, noting he isn't using the possibility of retirement as leverage for more money.

The other two internal options - Bridgewater and Hill - could look to secure starting jobs on the open market. Bridgewater settled for less money and a one-year deal to return to the Saints last offseason.

Payton told FOX Sports Radio he expects Hill, who's attempted 13 passes over three seasons while serving as a gadget player for the Saints, to be a starting quarterback in the NFL "sooner than later."

The Saints won their third consecutive NFC South title in 2019 but were eliminated by the Minnesota Vikings on Wild Card Weekend. They haven't reached the Super Bowl since capturing the Lombardi Trophy 10 years ago.