The New Orleans Saints are in a rather unforgiving situation right now. This offseason, they had to contend with the shock news of their starting quarterback, Derek Carr, announcing his retirement, seemingly out of nowhere. Now, the franchise doesn’t have a true replacement for the QB1 job, with second-round pick Tyler Shough the most likely candidate to assume the mantle in the wake of Carr’s departure.
He is going to contend with the likes of Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener for the role, but as a rookie, there is a likelihood that New Orleans wants to see what Shough can offer to the franchise. There is a good possibility that a bad year from the Louisville product forces the Saints to look for a new quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. However, one analyst believes the franchise could also look at a veteran still in the league to take over.
Do the New Orleans Saints Give Up on Tyler Shough Early?
Spending seven years at the collegiate level, Shough is coming in with a ton of experience under his belt. However, the 2025 season might be an immediate prove-it year for him, before the Saints decide to go in a different direction in 2026.
Instead, Brent Sobleski of Bleacher Report doesn’t want New Orleans to wait that long for the dye to be cast on Shough. In his list of potential landing spots, he had the Saints as a spot of consideration for Kirk Cousins, if the Atlanta Falcons do decide to finally move off of his contract.
Signed to a four-year deal worth $180 million, the decision did not turn out to be in Atlanta’s favor as Cousins could not hold the starting job for even one full season. Recovering from a torn Achilles, inconsistency plagued his performance throughout the year.
Ultimately, a four-week stretch where he did not record a single touchdown while coughing up eight interceptions forced the Falcons to pivot and elevate rookie Michael Penix Jr. earlier than they might have anticipated. Now, Cousins is likely to remain on the bench for Atlanta.
Quick work for the Falcons! @KirkCousins8 finds @DrakeLondon_ for 6️⃣#TBvsATL on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/6pK8eByEjK— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2024
As a result, Sobleski believes he could be a fine choice to lead the group in New Orleans, particularly with their current names at quarterback not inspiring much confidence. “As shaky as this setup appears, a veteran addition might be ideal for this roster,” he began.
“The Saints still feature running back Alvin Kamara, wide receivers Chris Olave and Brandin Cooks, tight end Juwan Johnson, center Erik McCoy, defensive end Cameron Jordan, linebacker Demario Davis, and safety Tyrann Mathieu. Everyone mentioned, except for Olave, will be 28 or older at the start of the season.”
That could be an ideal spot to drop the four-time Pro Bowler into. If things work out, then the Saints could have a holdover at signal caller as their current core can ride out into the sunset playing meaningful games. If Cousins cannot improve his production from last season, then the NFL Draft awaits New Orleans either way.
On the Falcons front, Sobleski wants them to move on from Cousins, particularly with Penix as the new ring leader. Further, he urges, “Atlanta must look at all of the potential opportunities to rid itself of some payroll and possibly add a draft asset or two.”
For the Falcons, making a trade is the best-case scenario for moving out from under the Cousins contract. And in New Orleans, there might not be a better chance for the veteran quarterback to salvage his reputation.