Trevor Siemian is still just a 29-year-old quarterback, but he's been around the track a few times after starting games with the Denver Broncos in his rookie season.
Siemian said he got some jokes at home about how his stay in New Orleans is the longest he'd had at any NFL city in a while.
“Which isn’t saying much, it’s not even been a year," Siemian said. "Hopefully I stick around.”
The 29-year-old began his NFL career with the Broncos, a member of the QB room along with Peyton Manning and Paxton Lynch in the 2015 season. That year ended with a Super Bowl trophy won against the the Carolina Panthers. Siemian started 14 games over the next two seasons, but suffered a season-ending shoulder injury in 2017 before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings before the next season. Siemian didn't see the field, and started just one game for the New York Jets in his next stop before coming to the Saints midway through the 2020 season.
Sean Payton and the Saints are hoping the journeyman has found his home as the starting quarterback, with Jameis Winston done for the year due to a knee injury. Siemian led the Saints to a victory over the Bucs in relief after Winston went down, and he was granted the starting title for Week 9, officially, as of Friday afternoon. That calm, veteran demeanor displayed by Siemian on the field hasn't been lost on his coach, either.
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“He’s kind of cool, calm. You never see the real highs or the real lows. That’s his personality and it works for him," Payton said. "His preparation this week has been really good. Taysom [Hill's] the same way. But everyone has a different personality relative to how they play, and so his would be that way. By example. He’s got a good command of what we’re doing. But pretty flat-line, in a good way.”
While the Saints waited until Friday to share the key detail of their offensive attack against the Atlanta Falcons, it wasn't a drawn-out decision. Siemian said he knew he was going to get the start as of Wednesday morning. The most obvious question was whether the Saints felt the need to bring in a quarterback, with Tuesday marking the NFL trade deadline. Beyond that, it was whether Hill would be ready to play after missing the last two games in the concussion protocol.
Payton hinted that the timeline was a factor in the decision, or more like an non-decision. Hill will play in the game, but wasn't upgraded to a full participant in practice until Thursday. There's a chance the Saints revisit the starting QB decision before a Week 10 matchup with the Tennessee Titans. One way or another, it's likely to see Payton cast mystery on who might start -- a competitive advantage he's been keen to own when the opportunity presents itself.
“A lot of it’s based on, I felt like Trevor played well last week. Taysom was coming out just at that same time, so we’ll see each week," Payton said. "We’ve got a good plan, we feel like, this week, relative to this game. And we’ll kinda go from there.”
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Regardless, don't expect an ear-thumping reaction from the even-keeled Siemian, or should I say (T-Money Wiggle?) himself. He's been around the block a few times, and will focus on the challenges directly in front of him. He was always preparing to get another chance as a starter, after all. He didn't know how or when that opportunity might arrive, but the story has written itself.
“If you start worrying about the big picture I think the stuff right in front of you can fall apart pretty quickly, I think," Siemian said. "It’s been proven over and over again how quickly things change in this league. So let’s try to win this week and see what happens.”
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