Executive predicts how Saints will handle Tyler Shough amid Derek Carr uncertainty

Amid rumors claiming that starting quarterback Derek Carr could miss at least a portion of the upcoming season due to a shoulder injury, the New Orleans Saints selected Louisville signal-caller Tyler Shough with the 40th overall pick of the 2025 NFL Draft. 

For a piece published on Friday, one unnamed team executive spoke with Mike Sando of The Athletic about Shough's chances of starting for the Saints.

"I’d be surprised if the quarterback is not starting for them," that executive said, referencing Shough. "He has the arm talent. He is really smart. He comes across as a veteran already. With him, it’s about staying healthy." 

That executive was referencing how Shough suffered three straight season-ending injuries during his college career. That said, the prospect who turns 26 years old this coming September was seen by some ahead of the draft as "the most pro-ready" quarterback in this year's class. Some even wondered on the evening of April 24 if a team could move back into the first round to take him before the Kansas City Chiefs spent overall pick No. 32.

Before the first round got underway, a handful of mock drafts predicted that New Orleans would use the ninth overall choice to select a quarterback such as Colorado's Shedeur Sanders or Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart. Instead, the Saints grabbed Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. at No. 9. 

In his final predraft rankings posted on April 14, ESPN's
Matt Miller listed Banks as his top-ranked tackle and as the eighth-best overall player in this year's class.

"Their first two picks, they showed real discipline," a different executive said about the Saints while speaking with Sando. "You thought they could have taken a quarterback at nine because of all the talk, and they were patient. They took a tackle, which they needed to take, and got one of the cleaner players in the draft (Banks). They came back and took Shough, who was great from an interview standpoint."

The Saints and Carr seem headed toward a divorce that could be finalized as soon as next offseason. Unless Shough unexpectedly looks like a developmental project during springtime workouts, he could enter training camp as the favorite to begin September atop New Orleans' depth chart.