Saints rumors: Tyler Shough in line to be Week 1 starting QB after Derek Carr retirement

The NFL world was rocked on Saturday morning as New Orleans Saints QB Derek Carr announced his retirement amid a shoulder injury. While Carr was expected to miss the entire 2025 season, it still came as a surprise that he suddenly decided to hang up the cleats at 34 years old.

That leaves the Saints in an unknown position when it comes to their next QB1. However, it appears second-round rookie Tyler Shough, who was just drafted out of Louisville, has a legitimate chance at starting in Week 1.

Via Jordan Schultz:

“With the uncertainty of Derek Carr’s future looming, the Saints took Tyler Shough in the 2nd-round knowing there was a real chance he would need to compete for the starting role. Many scouts and executives felt his skillset could immediately translate…

New Orleans now has three QBs on its roster with limited or no experience — including Shough, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener.”

The Saints’ QB room is looking inexperienced and young. Spencer Rattler struggled immensely in limited action in 2024, while Jake Haener didn’t exactly play well last season either, in eight games, posting a 46% completion rate.

When it comes to Shough, he threw for over 3,000 yards last year for Louisville, including 23 touchdowns against six interceptions. However, there was speculation as to why the Saints drafted him so high, especially because he was one of the quarterbacks to be taken before Shedeur Sanders. It feels like Sanders could’ve been the perfect selection given Carr’s decision to call it quits.

On a more positive note, Shough does have experience. He played six college seasons and will be a 25-year-old rookie. The signal-caller turns 26 in September. While he may get the opportunity to be the starter in the season opener, there are two guys right behind him hungry for a chance to prove themselves as well.

The Saints are evidently heading in a new direction, but it’s not exactly one fans are going to be excited about. Only time will tell how their QB situation will play out.