Let’s talk about some stuff that doesn’t matter.
Let’s talk about the age. New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough turned 26 in September. That makes him older than Ja’Marr Chase, Patrick Surtain Jr. and Penei Sewell, all of whom are in their fifth NFL season and have at least one All-Pro nod on their résumé. Shough’s age has been an easy punchline for many zingers.
Let’s talk about that throw. If that does not ring any bells, just type “Worst throw in NFL combine history” into an internet search engine. See it? The failed attempt at a trick-shot, off-platform throw to a receiver crossing over the middle, a flapping duck that fell incomplete when there was absolutely no pressure around him. That throw has lived a long life on social media whenever Shough’s name is brought up.
For good measure, let’s bring up the draft status and history that goes along with it. Shough was good enough to be taken 40th overall, which meant the rebuilding Saints felt good enough about him to spend one of their premium assets. That decision was roundly questioned, because historically, it meant he was probably not actually good enough to be a franchise quarterback. Since 2000, 175 quarterbacks have been selected after the first round. Far more of them never started a game (40) than threw for 4,000 yards in a season (11).
He’s too old. He had a bad moment that went viral. His draft positioning made him a bad bet.
None of that seems to matter at the moment.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) connects with New Orleans Saints wide receiver Brandin Cooks (10) as New Orleans Saints center Luke Fortner (79) defends the offensive line against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second of the NFL football game at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
Shough will make his sixth career start for the Saints on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers, and the one thing that does matter — his play on the field — has been driving the talk lately. That is exactly the way Shough likes it.
“What I put on tape, I want that to do the talking,” he said.
Those who still want to buy into the stuff that doesn’t matter will point to the statistics. Shough has not lit the box scores on fire in his first five starts. Since he took over as the starter in Week 9, he ranks 14th among NFL quarterbacks (minimum: 75 attempts) in passer rating (88.3) and 19th in success rate (43.7%). He has thrown five touchdowns in his five starts.
But those who really watch are starting to buy in, because the tape has spoken louder than the statistics.
Trent Green was one of those late-round success stories. His career began long enough ago that he was selected in the eighth round. He was 27 years old by the time he actually saw the field in an NFL game and made two Pro Bowls after turning 33. And he was in the booth last week, broadcasting the game for CBS when Shough made magic happen in the fourth quarter against the Buccaneers.
Green didn’t know much about Shough going into last week’s game and didn’t watch a ton of him at Louisville last year, either. He can’t speak on why Shough was available for the Saints in the second round, but after watching him in person last week, he thinks the Saints “got the right one.”
“I was impressed,” Green said. “Everybody joked about his age before the draft, but that is an advantage for him. He talked to us (during production meetings) about all the different systems he played in in college and how it and Louisville’s system and coaches prepared him so well for the NFL. That’s a real thing, and it’s showing right now.”
The age never factored into the Saints’ decision, at least not in a negative way. Like Green, they saw the advantages of bringing in a player who had experienced a lot in his extended college career.
Shough played at Oregon, Texas Tech and Louisville, gaining exposure to different styles and schemes. He also navigated personal hardship, experiencing multiple season-ending injuries. They saw this all as a net positive — especially considering the position he plays.
The current NFL leader in passing efficiency and touchdowns is 37-year-old Matthew Stafford. The leader in passing yards is 32-year-old Dak Prescott. Aaron Rodgers, at 42, ranks just outside the top 10 in passer rating. Tom Brady is the ultimate quarterback outlier and is not fair to use for comparison, but he did throw for 5,316 yards and 43 touchdowns at 44.
“Quarterbacks in this league, there’s a maturity that goes much further than other positions just because there’s such a mental component of it,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “You look at a lot of quarterbacks that are playing as good as anyone in this league, a bunch of them are in their 30s … and still getting better.”
One bad throw at the combine makes for potent social media fodder, especially when mixed with a few other confounding clips from his college days. But it’s also willfully ignoring the scores of high-level throws Shough made in game settings — throws that have carried over to the NFL.
Take the touchdown he threw to Devaughn Vele while nearly completing a fourth-quarter comeback against Miami two weeks ago.
New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) throws to New Orleans Saints wide receiver Mason Tipton (15) during the first half of the game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Sunday, Nov. 23, 2025. (Staff photo by David Grunfeld, The Times-Picayune | NOLA.com)
Shough surveyed the field, looking right, then looking left, then swinging his head back around to the right. As he faded toward his arm side, he chucked the ball to the back of the end zone for Vele where only the 6-foot-5 receiver could get it.
Former Saints quarterback Luke McCown saw everything he needed to see on that play.
“There’s not five, six guys in the NFL that can make that throw,” McCown said. “There’s guys that would attempt it, but not many that would complete it. To be able to have that velocity to get it there and get it up and down and over the defender in a space where Vele can get his feet down in the end zone — that’s a Josh Allen, Matthew Stafford type of throw.
“I was blown away. I knew he could throw. I knew he could really rip. But that’s a big-time throw there.”
Shough still has a long way to go to prove he’s an exception to the historical rule about a franchise quarterback selected outside of the first round. But the early signs have been encouraging on several levels.
It’s not just the maturity, the highlight-reel plays or two impressive wins. Those signs are visible in the mob of teammates rushing over to celebrate the way they did after his 34-yard touchdown run in Tampa last week.
“It lets you know that the team has bought into this rookie quarterback,” McCown said. “That tells you they believe this kid is bringing something to the table that they want to eat.”
This is the stuff that matters.
Shough won’t lie. There is part of him that uses the other stuff as motivation. He is a human being who relishes the chance to prove people wrong, but that doesn’t make up the whole of it. There have been moments in his career when he’s leaned too far into proving himself, and he said it is not a healthy place to be.
So, his advice for college prospects who are about to enter the draft is refreshingly simple: Be authentic to who you are, and acknowledge your journey and your shortcomings.
Oh, and one last bit.
“Don’t listen to anything that anyone is saying,” Shough said.
