Saints rookie QB Tyler Shough ready for ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’

Eric Williams

NFL Reporter

He played for five different head coaches during his seven years in college — three years each at Oregon and Texas Tech, and a final season at Louisville — so learning a new offense is old hat for New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.

“Yeah, a lot of familiarity,” Shough told FOX Sports at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event when asked about picking up another new scheme. “Obviously, it’s all new terminology, but [it’s just] different ways to get things done. From a run support perspective and passing game, there’s different things. But all of it is pretty much the same thing.”

Selected 40th overall in the 2025 draft, Shough (pronounced “shuck”) will compete with Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener for the starting job after veteran Derek Carr announced his retirement in early May due to a degenerative shoulder injury.

“I’m treating it the same way as if he [Carr] was there or not,” Shough said. “I’ve got to continue to learn the playbook and grow. And I’m going to compete regardless, whatever the situation is. That’s my focus right now. It’s a great opportunity.”

Shough got a jump-start by traveling to New Orleans even before rookie minicamp.

“I wanted to get there early,” he told FOX Sports. “I got there a couple days right after the draft, just to hang out with the guys. I couldn’t be at the facility, obviously, so I was training at Tulane. … It was great because I got my feet wet a little bit already. I got to meet people and rekindle with some of my former teammates, like [Saints tight end and Oregon alum] Juwan Johnson.

“It was really fun to get there. And now, rolling right into minicamp.”

With Carr gone, the Saints have one of the youngest and most inexperienced quarterback rooms in the league. At age 25, Shough is six months younger than Haener — and one year older than Rattler. Here’s something else they have in common: None of the three has an NFL win on his résumé. The Saints, however, have three coaches who played QB at the NFL level in new head coach Kellen Moore, offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier and quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien.

“We’ll rotate all of these guys,” Moore said about the three-QB competition. “We’ll give them all opportunities. We’ll be very patient with it and make sure all these guys get a chance to compete at a really high level.”

In OC roles with Dallas, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, Moore molded talented quarterbacks with differing skill sets. That experience should help as he tries to get the most out of Shough.

“He’s extremely intelligent, and he knows the position like the back of his hand,” Shough said about Moore. “The thing that is most attractive to me with him as a head coach is who he’s been with and what he’s done as a player and as a coach.

“You’ve got Justin Herbert, Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts. All three have different styles but have been successful in their own right. So I’m just excited to continue to learn the playbook and continue to grow with my teammates and go from there.”

Dan Manucci, who was Shough’s private quarterback coach from eighth grade until his time at Texas Tech, said the QB has always been very mature and focused in his approach. Manucci thinks those qualities, along with Shough’s 42 games played in college, make him ready for whatever the NFL has in store.

“He’s had a lot of reps and can make every throw known to man,” Manucci said. “He’s creative in that way, and he’s confident he can make those off-platform kind of throws because he’s had a lot of reps in working on that.”

In May 2022, Shough (right) posed with QB coach Dan Manucci and Brock Purdy, who had just been drafted by the 49ers. (Courtesy of Dan Manucci)

What also attracted the Saints was Shough’s resiliency and ability to work through tough situations. He broke his collarbone twice and suffered a broken leg at Texas Tech. He lost battles for the starting quarterback job at all three stops in college before finally showing what he could do as the unquestioned starter in his 2024 season at Louisville. Playing in a pro-style offense under head coach Jeff Brohm, Shough completed 63% of his passes for 3,195 yards, with 23 touchdowns and just six interceptions.

The 6-foot-5, 220-pounder then put his physical tools on display at the combine, where he surprised NFL scouts by posting a 4.63 time in the 40-yard dash, after which he hyped up the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium. He also showed impressive arm strength throwing the football.

“My whole thing was I wanted to compete,” Shough said. “It’s the NFL Combine, so I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to compete and run. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And I was just happy to be there. And for me, that’s something I’m comfortable doing — extending the play and running. It wasn’t something I did a lot at Louisville because they didn’t ask me to. But in my previous time at Texas Tech and Oregon, that’s something I did a lot.

“I think it’s necessary. You have to extend plays or create plays, but you also need to protect your body. And that’s something I learned at Louisville. You don’t need to take unnecessary hits, but you need to make plays when they’re there.”

After three years each at Oregon and Texas Tech, Shough blossomed last year at Louisville, throwing for 23 touchdowns in a pro-style offense. (Photo by David Madison/Getty Images)

At rookie minicamp, Moore wasn’t so much concerned with Shough’s physicality, but rather how well he was prepared mentally.

“He’s done an excellent job,” Moore said at minicamp. “For these quarterbacks, a lot of what you care about is how they command the huddle, how they command the whole operation when they come in here. Because it’s a new system, a new language and all those things associated with it. He hopped in here and really did an excellent job of just taking control of it.”

Shough, the oldest player drafted in 2025, has been married for more than a year. His wife, Jordan, and their golden retriever, Murphy, are helping to keep him grounded as he makes this life transition. Shough wore No. 9 in college but has made a switch because future Hall of Famer Drew Brees made that number legendary for the Saints. No one has worn No. 9 since Brees retired in 2021.

“No. 6 is good,” Shough said, smiling. “It’s an upside-down No. 9, so it’s a cool number. I was happy with it.”

And he’s thrilled with the chance to compete for a starting job in New Orleans.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.

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