New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) looks for a receiver during the third quarter against the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Saints Explain How Tyler Shough Became Starting QB

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Jan 8, 2026 12:07 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints handled the quarterback position well in 2025.

It wasn't easy. The Saints abruptly lost Derek Carr as he announced his retirement from the National Football League. The Saints drafted Tyler Shough with the No. 40 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and were left with three young guys with the rookie along with Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener.

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Throughout the summer, the big question was about the starting job. The three duked it out -- with Rattler and Shough being the final two standing. Rattler earned the job out of training camp with Shough being the backup. Rattler made eight starts and showed promise, but the Saints turned the job over to Shough ahead of the Week 9 showdown against the Los Angeles Rams. The team turned things around in the second half of the season and now the vibes are high. But why did the team make the choice when they did? Saints head coach Kellen Moore explained the decision.

The Saints made the right call

"What I think Tyler did an excellent job of is -- You know, Spencer earned the right to start coming out of training camp. That was first and foremost. I think everyone was aligned on that. Spencer earned the opportunity and I think Spencer played some really good football early in the season. I think he gave us an opportunity. We didn't win games enough, but he gave us a lot of really good opportunities. -- Tyler just had a really good vision and plan to get better. Whether it was in the classroom, whether it was being the scout team quarterback, his preparation.

"He was always ready if the opportunity presented itself. I think it was a healthy combination of feeling like we can take another step and we could get better as an offense collectively. But I thought Tyler, most importantly, had taken some steps and was ready to have an opportunity to play. I thought he did some really good things. There were still some bumpy roads, you know. We played some games that were still hard early when he started. He just kept staying steady and getting better. I thought he grew as those opportunities presented themselves."

Clearly, the Saints made the right call. The rookie learned the ropes behind the scenes and was better for it when he took over as the team's starter. Now, he'll have a whole offseason to prepare and the team is aiming high for the 2026 season.

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

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