Tyler Shough Reportedly Feels 'Pretty Good About His Chances' to Play as Carr Retires

The New Orleans Saints surely envisioned Tyler Shough starting at some point when they selected him with a second-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, but that timeline may have accelerated following Derek Carr's retirement.

For his part, Shough is reportedly feeling confident about his chances to earn the starting job in his rookie season.

"The door is open with Derek Carr retiring, but I was hearing that Shough felt pretty good about his chances," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported during Sunday's SportsCenter. "It's certainly in a humble way that he has to earn his role, but his chances to have a role in that scheme to potentially play because when the Saints took him, they knew he was among the most pro-ready quarterbacks in the draft with a lot of experience in his mid 20s, fought through injury to play a lot of football. 

"So, he should be able to get acclimated quickly. The Saints are going to open this up. They got Spencer Rattler, they got Jake Haener, who have a little more season, a couple years under their belt. But Tyler Shough is in a position where he could certainly play, and they drafted him knowing that the Carr situation was uneasy. They didn't know he was going to retire at this point, but this is a situation where with who they drafted and the experience Shough has, that could lead to him playing earlier than maybe most would."

The confidence seems justified, as Fowler reported during Saturday's SportsCenter that the Saints are "really high on him. Assuming things go well in the next three or four months, there's really no reason why he can't see the field in 2025 because of the pedigree and the experience he already comes in with. I'd call him the early favorite."

Sunday's report comes after the 34-year-old Carr released a statement Saturday that revealed he will retire after discussing it with his wife.

"Upon reflection of prayer, and in discussion with Heather, I've decided to retire from the National Football League," he said. "For more than 11 years, we have been incredibly blessed, and we are forever grateful and humbled by this experience. It's difficult to find the right words to express our thanks to all the teammates, coaches, management, ownership, team officials and especially the fans who made this journey so special. Your unwavering support has meant the world to us."

The Saints announcement explained that Carr felt pain in his right shoulder in March and that medical scans showed a labral tear and "significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff." 

Had he undergone surgery, he may have missed the entire 2025 season and perhaps never returned to the form he has demonstrated throughout his career as a four-time Pro Bowler.

The retirement threw the quarterback competition fully under the spotlight, especially since the Saints don't exactly have a trio of proven playmakers under center in Shough, Rattler and Haener.

Head coach Kellen Moore told reporters Saturday the plan is to let all three quarterbacks get a shot at winning the starting job.

"We're going to let all three of these guys roll," Moore said.

Rattler, a 2024 fifth-rounder, has appeared in seven career games with an 0-6 record as a starter and four touchdown passes to five interceptions. Haener, a 2023 fourth-rounder, has thrown just 39 career passes and is 0-1 as a starter.

This is not exactly a group of surefire future Hall of Famers that Shough is competing against after he completed 62.7 percent of his passes for 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions during his final collegiate season.

One of the concerns about Shough, 25, leading up to the draft was his age, but that won't be as much of an issue if he is starting right away instead of spending the first year or two of his career on the bench adjusting to the NFL level.

The opportunity to start right away is in front of him, and he is reportedly confident he will seize it for the Saints.