With a new head coach in Kellen Moore at the helm and question marks surrounding the health of Derek Carr, we knew that the New Orleans Saints would probably use the 2025 NFL Draft to address their future at quarterback. And sure enough, the team did just that, drafting former Louisville (and Texas Tech, and Oregon) passer Tyler Shough with the 40th overall pick.
At age 25 (he'll be 26 in late September), Shough was thought to be among the more seasoned passers in this year's class, offering some hope that he'd be ready to take the reins from Carr sooner rather than later. But Carr's abrupt retirement on Saturday morning means that "sooner" will come a lot sooner than anyone wanted.
Again, Carr's balky shoulder was hardly a secret; New Orleans knew that he didn't have a ton of football left, which is why they took Shough in the first place. But it's clear from the way they conducted their offseason that the Saints figured Carr could at least provide a year or two of buffer period. Now that safety net is gone, and it could force the team into a very uncomfortable decision with Shough — one that threatens to derail his career before it even gets off the ground.
Derek Carr retirement disrupts Saints' ideal Tyler Shough timeline
Yes, Shough is on the (much) older side for a rookie passer. But that age shouldn't be conflated with experience: Injuries limited him to just 562 pass attempts over his first five collegiate seasons; his first full year came in 2024 at Louisville.
Shough brings plenty of intriguing physical tools to the table, but this was always going to take some time — there's a reason he was available in the middle of the second round, after all. And the Saints seemed fine with that, given their relative lack of urgency in drafting a passer rather than jumping up in the first round. New Orleans wasn't ready to compete meaningfully in 2025 anyway, so why not let Carr take Shough under his wing?
Now, though, that plan is out the window. Maybe Moore will try to go with Spencer Rattler to start the year, but drafting Shough over him was a pretty clear vote of no confidence in Rattler as a future starter. Plus, even if Rattler does start Week 1, how long before the calls to start the rookie get too loud to ignore? Shough is now put between a rock and a hard place, inevitably thrown into the fire too early surrounded by a sketchy supporting cast far earlier than he or his coaching staff ever planned.