The New Orleans Saints were in the market for a new quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft.
But now that Derek Carr has announced his retirement, they will be forced to rush things and move on.
Of course, that might not have changed their plans, as Carr was projected to miss a big chunk of the season.
Even so, now that there’s no insurance policy, they might be tempted to test the free-agent market for a new signal-caller.
Nevertheless, Jared Dublin of CBS Sports believes they should roll the dice and start Tyler Shough instead:
“Start Tyler Shough,” Dubin wrote. “This is the option that makes the most sense. The Saints just selected Shough with a second-round pick — No. 40 overall. Shough was also touted as being an NFL-ready prospect due to his age (he turns 26 years old in September) and extensive college experience (he appeared in 42 total games and made 32 starts across seven seasons at Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville).”
The Saints’ QB room is one of the least impressive in the entire league, featuring Shough, Jake Haener, and Spencer Rattler.
As things stand now, TE Taysom Hill is their only quarterback with at least one win in the pros.
Granted, Shough was one of the most polarizing prospects in this class, but they took him in the second round, so they clearly like his game.
The arm talent is most definitely there, and after spending so much time in college and facing virtually every type of coverage out there, he shouldn’t be rattled or easily fazed at the next level.
Then again, he’s much older than the average rookie, and his long and well-documented history of injuries is full of red flags.
All things considered, he’s more likely their safest bet at this point.
Otherwise, they will have to scour the market for a backup or maybe try to get Aaron Rodgers on the phone.
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