Derek Carr retires: Aaron Rodgers to Saints, or Tyler Shough gets a promotion? Big hint here

With Derek Carr retiring, the Saints have an important choice to make - go shopping for a quarterback or promote rookie Tyler Shough to fill the big shoes

Updated on: May 10, 2025, 20:59:03 IST

By Yash Nitish Bajaj

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With Derek Carr retiring, the New Orleans Saints have an important choice to make - go shopping for a top-tier quarterback or promote rookie Tyler Shough to fill the big shoes. It looks like Kellen Moore and co have decided to go with the latter.

New Orleans Saints head coach Kellin Moore (AP)

Carr suffered a shoulder injury after 10 games last season. The 34-year-old reportedly took injections and even underwent rehabilitation, but there were no signs of full recovery ahead of the 2025 season. The Saints knew his status and decided to back Tyler Shough, drafting the former Louisville Cardinals quarterback in the second round.

Two-time Super Bowl champion Deion Branch told the team's fans to be excited about Shough, just hours before Derek Carr made the big announcement.

“Tyler’s all that. I promise you. I want to be the person to quieten down all the grumblings that I have, probably, slightly heard. About ‘Oh, we didn’t take the right quarterback.’ No, you took the right quarterback, trust me, I promise you," Branch said.

Rookie minicamp began on Thursday, and NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill reported Kelvin Banks, Danny Stutsman, Quincy Riley, Devin Neal, Moliki Matavao, and Fadil Diggs have signed contracts. Three draft picks who were pending are Shough, Vernon Broughton, and Jonas Sanker.

In the 2024 college football season, Shough led Louisville in 13 games to a 9-4 record. He completed 252 of 400 passes (63.0%) for 3,195 yards, averaging 8.0 yards per attempt. Shough threw 23 touchdowns and 6 interceptions, earning a passer rating of approximately 146.8. He also contributed 245 rushing yards on 78 carries, scoring 3 rushing touchdowns.

Aaron Rodgers to New Orleans Saints?

Rodgers, who is a free agent after being released by the New York Jets, has been strongly linked to the Saints and Pittsburgh Steelers. The 41-year-old, however, is yet to make a clear choice. With Carr retiring and the Steelers trading star WR George Pickens, New Orleans could become an attractive landing spot for the four-time NFL MVP.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Yash Nitish Bajaj
Yash Bajaj is a Chief Content Producer with a strong foundation in US coverage, digital strategy, and audience-focused storytelling. As part of the US Desk at Hindustan Times, he covers a wide range of topics - from American politics to sports (NFL, NBA, derbies, MLB and more). Before joining Hindustan Times, Yash served as Deputy News Editor at Times Now, where he oversaw international coverage and led a team of six. In this role, he significantly expanded global traffic through strategic planning, SEO-driven content execution, and meticulous trend tracking across platforms. He is experienced in managing high-pressure breaking-news shifts, coordinating live coverage, and building newsroom systems that improve speed, accuracy, and reach. Prior to Times Now, Yash held a position at Opoyi, where he headed the Sports and US news team. He developed broad editorial strategies, guided reporters across multiple beats, and played a key role in recruiting and training new talent. His responsibilities also extended to social media management and experimenting with innovative content formats. A passionate NFL fan, Yash is a die-hard supporter of the Cincinnati Bengals and has followed Joe Burrow closely since his college days at LSU. Whether breaking down top players' latest performance, analyzing team performances, or tracking roster moves, he brings the same dedication and sharp storytelling to his sports coverage as he does to American politics and breaking news. When he’s not writing, Yash can often be found watching games or debating the latest NFL storylines with fellow fans. Yash holds a Bachelor of Mass Media (Journalism) from HR College, Mumbai University. His interests extend well beyond the newsroom: he is an enthusiastic explorer of AI tools, a movie buff with an ever-growing watchlist, and someone who enjoys unraveling conspiracy theories for fun.Read More

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