Saints make massive Tyler Shough, Kellen Moore decision after whispers of uncertainty

A December report suggested that the New Orleans Saints could move on from head coach Kellen Moore after just one season. 

One theory at the time was that a different coaching staff could spend this winter searching for an upgrade at quarterback over 2025 rookie Tyler Shough.

The Saints ultimately retained Moore after they finished the season with a record of 6-11, and he confirmed on Wednesday that Shough will remain New Orleans' QB1 through the offseason. 

Tyler Shough will get full offseason as Saints starter

"Tyler's done an awesome job through this entire process," Moore said, per ESPN's Katherine Terrell. "He's gotten a ton better. He's taken advantage of a bunch of opportunities. We're excited to have a full offseason to build."

A second-round draft pick, Shough started the season as a backup for Spencer Rattler before Moore made a change after Week 8. In total, the 26-year-old went 5-4 across nine starts. According to Pro Football Reference, Shough ended the campaign ranked 25th in the league among qualified players with a 49.2 adjusted QBR, 19th with a 91.3 passer rating and 19th with an average of 216.7 passing yards per game.

In total, Shough tallied 10 touchdown passes and six interceptions over 11 contests. 

Do Saints regret not starting Tyler Shough in Week 1 of rookie season?

The evidence suggests Shough was always the best overall player in New Orleans' quarterback room. Nevertheless, Saints general manager Mickey Loomis hinted on Wednesday that he doesn't regret how Moore and Co. developed Shough. 

"I probably am overly patient," Loomis explained. "Sometimes your greatest strengths become a weakness, and so I'm really patient, I feel like, and whether it helps or not, hopefully it does. I think it does, but I'll continue to be that way."

Wednesday's developments ensured that Shough and Moore are now married to each other, for better or for worse. Loomis indicated he's confident that Moore won't regret being all-in on Shough. 

"Again, we're excited about Tyler...but we have to remember that he hasn't had 17 starts yet, so we're going to go into next season with these high expectations, and there's nothing wrong with that," Loomis continued. "But we also have to temper that by the fact that...he's a second-year quarterback and he's had less than a full season to start. So we've got to keep that in mind as we go forward. There are building blocks here, and we cannot skip any steps."