Tyler Shough says he can handle anything his rookie season throws at him
Rookie Tyler Shough is competing to replace Derek Carr as the starting quarterback of the Saints.
The 40th overall pick is the frontrunner to start the season opener, which would make him the first Week 1 rookie starting quarterback for the team since Archie Manning in 1971. First, though, he will have to beat out Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener.
Shough isn't the typical rookie. He's 26, which makes him 2 years older than Rattler and only six months younger than Haener. He graduated from high school in 2018 and once served as Justin Herbert's backup at Oregon.
That's why Shough insists nothing will faze him this season.
'I think for me and what I've been through — I've been carted off the field; I've been booed; I've been an MVP; I've been a starter; I've been a backup to Herbert -- throw some shit at me. You're not going to faze me if we start off 0-2 or I fu—ing suck,' Shough said on the St. Brown podcast, via NFL Media. 'It's going to be fine. That's what I was excited about — the opportunity, or any opportunity — and I think going into it, I've got to continue to get to know the guys.
'Like I said earlier, I'm still a rookie. I may be older, but I have to earn the respect of everybody and do my job.'
Carr still was with the Saints when Shough was drafted but announced his retirement May 10, opening up the job. It's an opportunity Shough didn't expect to have the day he was drafted.
He has taken the road most traveled to get here, going from Oregon to Texas Tech to Louisville to New Orleans.
'I think it's just if you look back, what are you willing to sacrifice at that position?' Shough said. 'If you would have told me as a 20-year-old, you're going to get drafted, but you are going to have to wait four or five years, and you're going to break your bones three times and think about not playing football again, and you're going to be depressed and have all these emotions, but if you stay at it then I would have done it, and I did. At that time, you're wondering why is this happening and what's going on and a lot of unknowns. That's literally the NFL; that's the game of football.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Boston Globe
2 hours ago
- Boston Globe
Five things to know about Celtics first-round draft pick Hugo González
González got his start early with Real Madrid González was identified as a top prospect at a very young age, joining the Real Madrid youth system when he was just 9 years old. He debuted professionally for the senior Madrid team at age 16 in October 2022, becoming the fourth youngest player in the team's history. Advertisement And while González appeared 16 games with the big league team that season, he drew more attention from scouts for his efforts leading Madrid's U18 team to the EuroLeague Next Generation Tournament title in both 2023 and 2024 — earning tournament MVP honors the second time. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up After starring for Spain's junior national teams at each age level, he debuted for Spain's senior national team during EuroBasket qualifiers this past February, posting 11 points and 6 rebounds in a win against Latvia. He is viewed as more of a project Though González had plenty of options for where to spend his pre-draft season both in Europe and in the US, he elected to remain with Real Madrid and get his first crack at playing a full season with the senior squad. Advertisement Playing on a contending team with a mix of EuroLeague veterans and ex-NBA players, González found himself stuck on the bench for large chunks of the season ― though his minutes increased as the season progressed. Furthermore, even during the minutes he was on the court, he lacked significant opportunities to play on the ball and develop his offensive creation. His best traits are his motor and defense At 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, González is a high-level athlete who is able to absorb contact and play aggressively on both sides of the ball. Scouts rave about González's motor and energy, and he's built a reputation in Spain for giving second and third efforts on every play and consistently getting to the dirty areas of the court. He also brings quick reactions on defense, and he averaged 2.7 steals per game at the U18 European Championships in summer 2024. His shooting is a big question mark González's ceiling in the NBA will be determined in part by his ability to shoot consistently from beyond the arc. He shot 28 percent from deep this past season with Real Madrid, and made just 25% of his threes on 96 three-point attempts for the junior Spanish national team. The Ringer's J. Kyle Mann notes that in EuroLeague competition, 'defenses typically closed out softly on him or sometimes would ignore him entirely.' His parents were both pro players in Spain González comes from a bloodline of Spanish basketball players. His mother, Montserrat, and father, Paco, both played professionally at Estudiantes ih Madrid ― Montserrat for the women's professional team, and Paco for the men's professional team. Advertisement 'My first basketball memories come from my parents. They played basketball and they influenced me a bit,' González said in Spanish in a February interview with ACB. 'It made me want to play as well.' Matty Wasserman can be reached at
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bills MVP 'Superman' Josh Allen Reveals Brutally Honest Take on Individual Honor
Bills MVP 'Superman' Josh Allen Reveals Brutally Honest Take on Individual Honor originally appeared on Athlon Sports. It is something for the trophy case and something for the resume. But to Josh Allen, it is not "the thing.'' Advertisement For many players, winning an NFL MVP award can be the highlight of their career. It's an honor not to be taken lightly and Buffalo Bills quarterback Allen certainly respects that. But ... Allen, having been named the NFL's Most Valuable Player for the 2024 season, is not even close to the achievement he craves. Allen is talking now about the honor of winning the award … but how it meant little compared to his overall legacy and goals. "I still didn't win a Super Bowl. Didn't win a ring, and that is the only goal. It's the only focus that I've ever had going into this league," Allen said. Advertisement It's a brutally honest take ... and yet it is the only right one. Humble stuff? Sure. But look at it this way: He's become one of the best quarterbacks in the sport ... but that is now only the foundation of where he's going. It's almost to be taken for granted - by him, not by us - that he will give Buffalo individual "Superman'' excellence along the lines of what he did last year. Allen totaled 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns with only six interceptions as a passer and 531 yards and 12 touchdowns as a rusher as he cleverly and bullishly led his team to a 13-4 record. But that's not enough, because he knows his legacy will be tied directly to whether he can get the Bills to the promised land. Advertisement At the same time, speaking about the "foundation'' ... "The one positive, I will say, about winning an MVP,'' Allen added, "(is that it) means that your team is in a good position. You're making the playoffs, you're playing well, and you're doing whatever you can to help your team win football games." Allen and the Bills do a lot of that. But they - and he - need one more win. ... in The Big Game. Related: Bills Mafia Hopes Josh Allen WR Can Move From 'Trash' To No. 1 Target Related: Veteran Bills Receiver Predicted to Be Cut This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
MLB Sends Ronald Acuña Jr. Message During Mets Game
MLB Sends Ronald Acuña Jr. Message During Mets Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Atlanta Braves right fielder Ronald Acuña Jr. has been posting a dominant performance throughout the 2025 regular season, decisively eliminating any doubts about his return to peak form. Advertisement After his historic, unanimous MVP season in 2023, Acuña battled through adversity when he suffered a second ACL injury, missing nearly a year before returning last month—marking his comeback with a home run on his very first at-bat. Although the Braves currently sit at 35-41 and remain seven games away from a playoff spot, they have looked much more competitive since his return, winning seven of their last 10 games with the offense ranking in the top half of the league over that stretch. Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. (13)Jordan Godfree-Imagn Images On Monday, after homering against Paul Blackburn of the New York Mets, MLB sent a message regarding Acuña's remarkable start to the 2025 season. Advertisement In addition to reacting to his homer, the league posted Acuña's stats over the last month, which include a .408 average in 98 at bats along with nine home runs, 16 RBIs, a 1.248 OPS, and three stolen bases. "Ronald Acuña Jr. has been crushing since returning one month ago today," the league wrote. Acuña, has become one of the Braves franchise stars after making his MLB debut in 2018 and winning Rookie of the Year honors, quickly establishing himself as one of the game's premier talents. In April of 2019, Acuña signed an eight-year, $100 million contract extension—the youngest player in baseball history to sign a deal of that magnitude—which secures him financially through 2028 and includes team options for the 2027 and 2028 seasons. Advertisement Since then, he has been a four-time All-Star, earned the NL MVP award in 2023, secured three Silver Slugger awards and cemented himself as a superstar, despite multiple ACL injuries. Related: Brewers Fans React to Brandon Woodruff News on Monday Related: MLB Announces Manny Machado News Before Nationals-Padres This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 24, 2025, where it first appeared.
