For many, the New Orleans Saints were surprising as a team. The final record doesn’t fully support it, but the backend of the season created more momentum than expected in Kellen Moore’s first year. Tyler Shough and the Saints actually ended up being exciting, and that's the last word anyone expected to describe the team.
The draft position is the best tangible sign of how the Saints were a surprising team this year. The expectation was a top five pick and possibly the first overall selection. The Saints nearly fell out of the top-10 by the time it was all said and done.
That final stretch of the season was the biggest surprise. Even when the team was playing competitive ball, it didn't feel like a five game winning streak was on the way. If we had to boil it down to a single player, though, the answer was too split for a consensus.
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Tyler Shough's quick ascension ascends him to the top of the list
The biggest surprise for the New Orleans Saints in 2025 was rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, who stepped in and immediately elevated the team’s level of play. After a 1-8 start, Shough helped guide the Saints to five wins over their final nine games. He finished the season with 2,384 passing yards, 13 total touchdowns, and just six interceptions. His rapid impact made him the Saints' most unexpected surprise of the 2025 season.- Tramell Jeffers
Cam Jordan stuck it to Father Time
The biggest surprise of the season for me was Cam Jordan. Not that I expected him to be bad in 2025; I just didn’t expect him to gather the 10.5 sacks that he did. This was the highest number of sacks for Jordan since the 2021 season and a welcome surprise. Hopefully, he can keep up the pace next year.- Molly Bauer
Jonas Sanker took advantage when an unexpected opportunity came his way
Jonas Sanker fought his way up the depth chart to being a primary starter on the Saints defense. Sanker was drafted in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft and didn’t have a crazy training camp. After Julian Blackmon's Week 1 injury, Sanker stepped in, proved he’s a valuable defender and can be a starting safety for the foreseeable future.- Drew Collings
Chase Young surpassed my expectations by miles
Chase Young had the best season of his career despite missing the first five games of the year. Count me as one of the skeptics on the Saints signing Young to a new contract. He was a high pressure but low sack player in his first year with the Saints. That completely changed in Brandon Staley's defense. As if securing 10 sacks for the first time in just 12 games wasn't surprising enough, Young emerged as a cornerstone and was the impact player the Saints thought he could be.- Darrion Gray