The football world was taken by surprise when New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr announced his retirement this past spring. With Carr’s departure, the spotlight shifts to rookie Tyler Shough, who is now at the forefront of the depth chart, gearing up for training camp as the potential starting quarterback.
In a candid moment on the “St. Brown Podcast,” Shough laid out his mindset regarding the upcoming season and the challenges ahead, should he be handed the reins as the Saints’ starting QB in Week 1. “You’re not going to faze me if we start off 0-2 or I [expletive] suck,” Shough said with a self-assured tone, as relayed by Grant Gordon of the NFL’s website. “It’s going to be fine. That’s what I was excited about, that opportunity, or any opportunity, and I think, going into it, I’ve got to continue to get to know the guys. Like I said earlier, I’m still a rookie. I may be older, but I have to earn the respect of everybody and do my job.”
Set to turn 26 this September, Shough was selected by the Saints in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Even before Carr’s retirement became official, there were already murmurs about Carr potentially missing part or all of the season due to a major shoulder injury. It’s clear that Shough understood the weight of the situation he was stepping into well before Carr formally hung up his cleats.
As Shough prepares to report for training camp on July 22, he’s entering a heated competition for the starting position, facing off against 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler and 2023 fourth-rounder Jake Haener. As of the latest update, FanDuel Sportsbook has placed Shough as the frontrunner with -310 odds to secure the starting role, with Rattler trailing behind at +210.
During his college career, Shough faced a series of significant hurdles, including two broken collarbones and a broken fibula from 2021 through 2023. Reflecting on these challenges during the podcast, Shough noted that these experiences have steeled him for the demanding journey ahead, especially as he aims to lead the Saints in their season opener against the Arizona Cardinals on September 7.
“If you would have told me as a 20-year-old, ‘You’re going to get drafted, but you are going to have to wait four or five years and you’re going to break your bones three times and think about not playing football again and you’re going to be depressed and you’re gonna have all these emotions, but if you just stay at it,’ then I would have done it and I did,” Shough shared, reflecting on his path to the NFL. “At that time, you’re wondering why is this happening and what’s going on, and a lot of unknowns. That’s literally the NFL. That’s the game of football.”
Barring any unforeseen changes, Shough is on the cusp of taking the first meaningful snap of his professional career as the Saints’ starter. As the countdown to September begins, all eyes will be on New Orleans to see how this promising rookie handles the pressure and opportunity of leading a storied franchise.
