New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President / General Manager Mickey Loomis announced today that the club has terminated Josh Hill and Jared Cook contracts.
Hill, 6-5, 250 pounds, played a variety of roles for the Saints as a receiver, blocker, defender and contributor to special teams after joining the team in 2013 as an unpaid free agent outside of the state of Idaho. Hill appeared in 117 regular season games with 62 games for New Orleans and recorded 116 receptions for 1,071 yards with 15 touchdowns and posted 27 special team tackles. In nine postseason games with four matches, he recorded 15 receptions for 166 yards with a touchdown.
In 2020, Hill played 14 games with seven matches and recorded eight receptions for 46 yards with a touchdown, one season after registering the largest number of receptions (25) and receiving yards (226) in 2019.
“He’s a real pro,” said Loomis of Josh Hill. “He did so many things that few people noticed, but his coaches and teammates were certainly aware of his contribution to the team’s success for most of the past decade. He played with tremendous heart and determination and personified the characteristics that we highly value . He has certainly earned our respect and admiration over his time on our program. “
“Josh joined us as a non-hired free agent in 2013 and has been a model of consistency throughout his eight seasons with us,” said Saints coach Sean Payton. “He has been trustworthy, selfless and has played countless roles for us, often in real time and in the middle of games, playing each role at a very high level. We appreciate everything he has done for our team and we know that he will have continued success as it progresses. “
Cook, 6-6, 254, was hired by New Orleans as an unrestricted free agent in 2019 and is a 12-year-old NFL veteran who was originally selected in the third round of the 2009 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans at the University of Carolina do South. He appeared in 178 career games with 89 matches, posting 505 receptions for 6,673 yards (average 13.2) with 41 touchdowns.
Since joining New Orleans in 2019, Cook has played 29 games and recorded 80 receptions for 1,209 yards (average of 15.1) with 16 touchdowns, drawing with the second highest total score in the position during that period. After being nominated for the Pro Bowl in 2019, registering 43 receptions for 705 yards (average of 16.4) with nine touchdowns, Cook played 15 games in 2020 and led the tight end group with 37 receptions for 504 yards (average of 13.6) and one of the team’s seven best touchdown receptions.
“Jared has consistently displayed the gaming skills that attracted us to him as a free agent two years ago,” said Payton. “He made many important plays for us and was a positive influence for his teammates. Jared is a consummate professional who is dedicated to his trade and we wish him the best of luck in the future.”