Derek Carr announced his retirement from the NFL on May 10, leaving the Saints without a clear starting quarterback. In the wake of this news, many New Orleans fans have begun lamenting their team’s decision to pass on Shedeur Sanders in the draft.
Instead of going with the controversial Colorado superstar, the Saints selected Louisville quarterback Tyler Shough in the second round with the No. 40 pick. New Orleans is now stuck with a quarterback room of Shough, Spencer Rattler, and Jake Haener. Saints fans are understandably skeptical of the upside any of their team’s current options can bring to an offense that still includes Alvin Kamara, Chris Olave, and Rashid Shaheed.
Deion, Shedeur’s father, had seemed receptive to the idea of his son landing with the Saints ahead of the draft. Coach Prime’s heavy involvement in Shedeur’s collegiate career and pre-draft preparations seemed to play a role in the reigning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year’s historic draft slide.
Sports Illustrated writer Joshua Sanchez recently tweeted out a message that resonated with a large portion of the Saints’ fanbase.
“New Orleans Saints are going to go down with an all-time fumble for drafting Tyler Shough over Shedeur Sanders,” Sanchez tweeted. “With Derek Carr retiring, the Saints' QB room: Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener.”
Only time will tell if New Orleans’ trust in Shough over Shedeur amounts to an ‘all-time fumble.’ Shough has already caught some strays from the national media for his lack of upside, which could ultimately set up the Saints for a high first-round pick in the 2026 draft.
Andy Behrens of Yahoo Sports recently called Shough ‘the type of QB who can help the Saints land Arch Manning in 2026,’ crowning the 25-year-old signal-caller as the ideal tank leader for New Orleans.
With Carr out of the league and Shedeur in Cleveland, Saints fans will have to buckle up for a season with either Shough, Haener, or Rattler at the helm.