NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Saints quarterback Taysom Hill might be one of the most unique players to come along in the past 66 years.
That's how long it has been since a player joined the NFL's 10/10/10 club: 10 passing touchdowns, 10 receiving touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns.
Hill became the fifth player to hit that career mark Sunday in the Saints' 24-17 win against the Chicago Bears, joining Hall of Famers Frank Gifford, Charley Trippi, Red Grange and Jimmy Conzelman.
Gifford, who played multiple positions for the New York Giants from 1952 to 1964, was the last person to hit those marks, back in 1957. He retired at age 34 with 34 rushing touchdowns, 43 receiving touchdowns and 14 passing touchdowns.
"I think that's pretty impressive, right?" coach Dennis Allen said. "Half the guys in the locker room would have no idea who Frank Gifford is."
Hill, who was in the room as Allen was speaking after the game, smiled when asked if he was one of those players.
"I've heard of him because ... the stats guys told me about these stats," Hill said. "So I have heard of him. Yeah, of course."
Against the Bears, Hill had 11 carries for 52 yards, caught four passes for 13 yards and a touchdown and also had a 3-yard TD pass to tight end Juwan Johnson.
Hill, with his first passing and receiving touchdowns of the season, became the third Saints player to have both types of TDs in the same game, joining Dalton Hilliard (1987) and Lamar Smith (1998).
Hill has been on a tear lately, accounting for five touchdowns in the past three weeks after not scoring in the first six.
"It's unbelievable," starting quarterback Derek Carr said. "Today he got so much man coverage. Usually when we're in there throwing the ball, we don't get much man, and when we do, usually it's a good play for us. ... They were playing some man things, and that's why his touchdown was wide open. [Tight end] Juwan [Johnson] comes back, boom, we have a big play. And you see his ability to run the football. They've got to load the box. They don't load the box, he can throw it."
Hill has 26 career rushing touchdowns, 10 receiving touchdowns and 11 passing touchdowns. He said he has mixed thoughts about what this mark means for him, as it's not how he envisioned his career playing out.
"I don't know. I mean, I look back at my career and I certainly didn't think that it would've gone the way that it has," Hill said. "But as I hear and think about stuff like that, it's overwhelming. I have a lot of gratitude to be able to be a part of this program and play with coaches that are creative enough to give me opportunities."
When Hill came into the league as an undrafted rookie in 2017, it was with the hope that he would earn a starting job at quarterback. The Saints had him playing all over the field by his second season in 2018.
However, he still harbored hope to play full-time quarterback for several years, losing the starter competition to Jameis Winston in the 2021 offseason and then officially moving to tight end in the 2022 offseason.
The Saints switched his label back to quarterback this season, but he's essentially a quarterback in name only, continuing to play in multiple spots and on special teams.
Hill accounted for 11 total touchdowns last season (seven rushing, two passing, two receiving), and he leads the team with three rushing scores this season.
He has been a key part for the Saints in solving red zone woes in the past three games, getting a first down or scoring a touchdown in the red zone nine times (compared with just two first downs in the first six).
The Saints (5-4) are 2-1 in those games, and are atop of the NFC South after the Atlanta Falcons (4-5), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5) and the Carolina Panthers (1-7) all lost Sunday.
Carr said that before he signed with the Saints, he used to see them take former quarterback Drew Brees off the field for Hill and not understand exactly why they were doing it. It didn't take long for him to see the vision.
"From afar, I was like, 'Man, they're taking Drew off the field?'" Carr said. "Then you get here and like, 'I see why. This guy's pretty good.' He's great in what he does for us -- ultimate competitor, great friend. He's been amazing to me since I got here. I celebrate him every chance I get.
"That just doesn't come around all the time, a guy that can go from tight end to running back to special teams, blocking on a punt return, to playing tight end, to going to quarterback to playing [blocking] receiver. That just doesn't happen all the time."