The New Orleans Saints’ search for their next franchise quarterback since Drew Brees‘ retirement in 2020 has been long and difficult. However, the Saints believe they may have finally found their long-time signal-caller in rising sophomore Tyler Shough. This offseason, they spent significant resources to back that faith.
Help Needed in New Orleans
Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Saints had started seven different quarterbacks in four seasons since Brees’ retirement. Those signal callers posted a record of 30-38 over that span, a far cry from Brees’ 142-86.
In the 2024 season, the Saints went 5-12. That was their worst record since going 3-13 in 2005, the year before Brees arrived. Veteran Derek Carr went 5-5, missing seven games, including the last four, due to injury. Rookie Spencer Rattler went 0-6, while second-year QB Jake Haener went 0-1.
Saints Draft Shough
Given these struggles, Carr’s injuries, and the hiring of new head coach Kellen Moore, the Saints were expected to be in the market for a quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Many expected the Saints to select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders with the ninth overall pick. Thus, fans were shocked and dismayed when the Saints opted to select the 25-year-old Tyler Shough out of Louisville with the 40th overall pick over the still available Sanders.
A Seventh Year Senior
Shough was an unusually old rookie, having played seven seasons of college football, many of which were derailed by injuries.
The Arizona native spent his first three years at the University of Oregon before transferring to Texas Tech. He suffered two season-ending injuries in three years at Tech. Then, he transferred to Louisville for his seventh and final collegiate season.
Shough shined on the Cardinals, passing for over 3,000 yards while tossing 23 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions. He started all 12 regular-season games, missing zero games to injury for the first time since his final season at Oregon. Shough finished his lengthy college career with 7,820 passing yards, 59 passing touchdowns, and 23 interceptions.
A Promising Rookie Year
Two weeks after the NFL Draft, Derek Carr surprisingly announced his retirement due to injuries to his right shoulder. Shough, Rattler, and Haener were then left to battle it out for the starting quarterback position. Rattler won the preseason battle, but after a 1-7 start to the 2025 campaign, Shough took the reins.
In his second start, Shough impressed. He led the Saints to their second victory of the season against the divisional rival Carolina Panthers, completing 70.4% of his passes for 282 yards and 2 touchdowns.
He continued to perform and went on to lead the Saints to a four-game win streak in weeks 14-17 despite numerous injuries to his supporting cast.
Shough finished the season with 2,384 passing yards, 13 TDs, and 6 INTs while posting a 5-4 record. The 6-foot-4 rookie averaged 250.7 passing yards per game in his starts, which would have made him sixth in the league. He also led three commendable game-winning drives. For his standout season, Shough earned the Rookie of the Year award.
The Saints Spend Big
Fast forward to the 2026 offseason, and the Saints have added numerous pieces to the offense. The Saints stated their commitment to Shough as their starting QB for the 2026 season, and they’ve put their money where their mouth is.
New Orleans spent the second-most on offense in free agency in total value, trailing only the Las Vegas Raiders. Their prominent signings include offensive guards David Edwards and Dillon Radunz, running back Travis Etienne, and tight end Noah Fant.
Edwards and Etienne were the two splash signings, with $109 million of the roughly $127 million in offensive spending being allocated between the two.
Edwards, whom the Saints signed out of Buffalo, posted a 71.4 overall grade and a 73.0 pass-blocking grade for the 2025 season, according to Pro Football Focus. These grades earned him rankings of 19th and 14th, respectively, across 81 eligible guards. Additionally, ESPN analyst Seth Walder ranked the move as the ninth-best signing of the offseason.
Etienne, a Louisiana native, is coming off a bounce-back 2025 season in which he totaled 1,399 yards from scrimmage and a career-high 13 touchdowns.
Saints Continue Offensive Emphasis in the Draft
When the NFL Draft rolled around in April, New Orleans didn’t change their approach.
The Saints spent five of their eight and four of their first five picks on offense. Four of the offensive picks were pass catchers. The first was Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson, whom they selected eighth overall. In his last two seasons at ASU, Tyson hauled in 136 catches for 1,812 yards and 18 touchdowns.
TE Oscar Delp, OG Jeremiah Wright, WR Bryce Lance, and WR Barion Brown comprised the rest of their offensive picks.
Atoning for Last Year’s Sins
New Orleans has signaled a clear statement with these moves—they believe in Shough and are going to build around him. Ironically, these moves, driven by their confidence in Shough, seek to prevent the situation that instilled much of that confidence.
Towards the end of the season, injuries began to pile up for the Saints’ offense. Five-time Pro Bowl running back Alvin Kamara missed the last six games of the year. Wide receiver Devaughn Vele, with whom Shough had started to establish a nice connection, missed the last three games. Then, all-pro wide receiver Chris Olave missed the final contest of the year.
By Week 18, the Saints were down their top three running backs and six of their wide receivers, including their top three. Thus, Shough was left with a cast consisting of Juwan Johnson, Dante Pettis, Audric Estime, Kevin Austin, Taysom Hill, Ronnie Bell, and Samori Toure.
Yet Shough produced, totaling 316 yards per game, five total touchdowns, and only 1 interception in the final three games of the season.
Shough’s performance certainly instilled hope in the organization and the Who Dat Nation. So much so, in fact, that fans even made a song about him. Naturally, the front office seems determined not to have Shough play hero ball again, given their heavy investment in the offense.
Shough’s Opportunity
With multiple additions this offseason to the line, backfield, and receiver room, the Saints have given Shough the keys to what they hope is a Ferrari compared to last year’s Chrysler. They hope he can drive them to their first division title since Brees’ retirement in 2020. If he does, Tyler Shough can cement himself as the next franchise quarterback of the New Orleans Saints, just as the Saints have sought to orchestrate.
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