The New Orleans Saints' quarterback situation could certainly be better. Derek Carr retired, which saved the organization boatloads of cash, but now the Saints will trot out Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, or Jake Haener as their starting signal-caller for the 2025 season.
Shough is a rookie second-round pick while Rattler and Haener both got in some playing time last year while Carr was out. Conor Orr of Sports Illustrated doesn't seem convinced that Shough will be the answer in New Orleans, frequently linking them to the number one pick in his recent bold predictions piece.
In that piece, Orr not only said outright that he expected the Saints to land the top pick in next year's draft, but later on in the write-up, one of his predictions was that "The connection between LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and has father, Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier, will become a significant predraft storyline".
Orr expands on that, writing, "The former NFL quarterback has a chance to coach his son as an NFL quarterback. With New Orleans hurtling toward the No. 1 pick, the father-son pairing will be subject to immense palace intrigue. It’ll be a story whether the Saints select the homegrown LSU quarterback or choose not to."
Saints OC's relationship with Garrett Nussmeier could lead to team drafting him in 2026
Doug Nussmeier joined the Saints as their offensive coordinator this offseason after the team hired Kellen Moore as their next head coach. Nussmeier followed Moore to New Orleans and it's not his first time in the Big Easy, as he spent the 1994 through 1997 seasons as a backup quarterback with the Saints.
This will be Nussmeier's first year as an offensive coordinator in the NFL and it just so happens that his son, Garrett Nussmeier, will be a prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. Garrett plays at LSU and put together a respectable year in 2024, throwing for over 4,000 yards, 29 touchdowns, and 12 picks.
If the Saints do end up with the number one pick and Nussmeier has played well enough in 2025 to be in consideration to be taken in that spot, it'd be an interesting situation. The Saints would likely be criticized for taking Garrett because people would say it was because his father was already with the organization. They'd also probably be criticized for passing on him too. It'd be a less-than-ideal situation to be in.
Hopefully, Shough plays well and the Saints aren't anywhere close to landing the top pick in the draft. It'd be great if all this quarterback talk is for nothing because Shough ends up being the franchise quarterback the Saints hope he'll be.