The Derek Carr era unofficially ended when Kellen Moore picked Tyler Shough in the NFL draft. It's almost fitting the Derek Carr era officially ended the day media was able to see Tyler Shough for the first time.
Saturday morning started with the stunning news of Derek Carr's retirement. It's the biggest story surrounding the New Orleans Saints since the NFL draft. It dominated conversation, and it will continue to do such for a while.
For members of the media present at rookie minicamp, they were forced to turn their attention from Carr to Shough. In a sense, this transition was symbolic of the change of guard we are watching in front of our faces
Beginning of the Tyler Shough era at Saints rookie minicamp
Shough was, obviously, the lead quarterback at rookie minicamp. The expectation should be for him to maintain that role in the regular season.
This is the moment Shough was drafted for. He was drafted to be the face of the franchise immediately, and Carr's retirement has made that a reality. The rumbles were present through the entire predraft process, so when the Saints picked a quarterback in the second round, it cemented those beliefs. This is who they want to start, but Shough still has to win the job.
If Shough wins the job, he'll be the first rookie drafted after Round 1 to start in the season opener, per ESPN Stats Info, since DeShone Kizer did it in 2017. That didn't work out too well for the Browns. He lost all 15 of his starts and led the league in interceptions. Hopefully, Shough fares better.
Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener fighting for QB1
Shough won't be running unopposed. Kellen Moore stated Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener will also compete for the starting role.
It'll be interesting to see how much of a factor Haener is. His 2024 season consisted of coming in in relief duty for Rattler a couple times. He looked efficient and made quick decisions. When it was his turn to start, Haener's put forth an uninspiring effort. He was quickly benched in favor of Rattler
Haener hasn’t been in the starting conversation this offseason. Shough and Rattler were expected to compete for the job. The battle should still primarily be viewed as a two man race between Shough and Rattler. Within that race, Shough has the leg up.