With Derek Carr ultimately deciding to walk away from his football playing career, the New Orleans Saints are left with a big question to answer this offseason, as they currently don’t have a clear option to be their starting quarterback in the 2025 NFL campaign.
However, they have players to choose from, including rookie Tyler Shough, who was taken in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft by New Orleans – before Carr announced his sudden retirement.
New Orleans Saints rookie QB embracing the chance to compete for QB1 role
Even without having taken a single snap in the NFL, Shough has an opportunity to be a starter right away. Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, New Orleans’ QB holdouts from 2024, offer competition, but for the former Louisville Cardinals signal-caller, he’s got everything he needs right now – a chance.
“That’s all you can ask for is an opportunity, at any position,” Shough said (h/t Christian Gonzales of NFL.com). “And I’m going to treat it the same way, as if whoever is on the roster, I’ve got to continue to grow and get better and do my best to elevate the QB room and the team. For me, I was going to come in regardless of him being here or not and try and continue to grow.
While he lacks experience at the pro level, Shough had an extensive collegiate resume, having played for three different programs across seven years. He spent three years with the Oregon Ducks before playing three seasons for the Texas Tech Red Raiders and finally landing with the Cardinals. In the 2024 college football season, Shough had 3,195 passing yards and 23 touchdowns against only six interceptions through 12 games.
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