Nov 5, 2023; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Detailed view of the New Orleans Saints helmet on the team bench against the Chicago Bears during the first half at the Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

One Saints Rookie Who Could Be Superstar In 2026

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Dec 29, 2025 6:15 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints arguably have their starting quarterback of the future in Tyler Shough and he continues to say all of the right things.

The Saints' regular season is winding down and although they won't make the playoffs this season, they are giving the fanbase exactly what they need right now: hope.

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At 1-7 this season, things were pretty bleak. There were a million questions around the franchise. Is Kellen Moore the right head coach for the team? Do the Saints need to completely reset? Does New Orleans need to draft another quarterback? Questions after questions. But, the Saints turned the starting job over to Shough and things have changed. Shough doesn't just look like a solid rookie, he looks like a legit star and a quarterback that can will a team to victory on his back alone.

The Saints rookie looks like a star

On Sunday, he had the best game of his career so far. Now, he's made just eight starts, but what he did against the Tennessee Titans was special. He went 22-of-27 passing for 333 yards and two touchdowns while leading New Orleans to a 34-26 comeback win.

After the game, Shough attributed the success to the team just finding a way to have fun and play complementary football while speaking to CBS sideline reporter AJ Ross.

"We're just having fun," Shough said. "We don't care about anybody else that isn't in the building. That's the best part about it. We're playing complimentary football. All the guys, this is the most fun we've had in our careers. Just super proud of everybody. It was so much fun."

Shough has made just eight starts this season and has the most wins of any rookie quarterback including No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward, who Shough beat on Sunday. Shough has gone 181-of-260 (69.6 percent) passing for 1,997 yards, nine touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also has 140 rushing yards and two touchdowns. So, that's 11 total touchdowns to just four interceptions.

He's going to be a problem for opposing defenses in 2026. He's just getting better each week. He had the first 300-yard game of his career in Week 16 against the New York Jets. That game, he tossed 308 passing yards. He followed with the best game of his career on Sunday against the Titans.

In the eight games he has started, he has averaged 249.6 passing yards per game, which is on pace for over 4,243 passing yards over 17 games. His current pace is just over 19 touchdown passes across a 17-game schedule and over four rushing touchdowns as well. Now, the touchdown numbers surely will go up as this offense gets more comfortable under him.

In comparison, Derek Carr threw for over 4,200 passing yards just once in his 11-year NFL career. Shough's already on a more prolific pace in just eight games. Imagine what he'll be like next season after an offseason of building around him?

More NFL: Tyler Shough Gets Stamp Of Approval From Ex-Saints Rival

This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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