Tyler Shough is taking his offseason work beyond the Saints facility, and he’s bringing a sizable chunk of the roster with him.
Starting Monday, Shough will host five days of workouts and passing sessions in Del Mar, California, just north of San Diego, with Drew Brees expected to attend at least some of the sessions. The gathering is set to include Saints receivers and tight ends, and Shough has gone as far as covering the costs for an estimated group of 18 teammates, including airfare, hotel rooms and meals.
For Noah Fant, that kind of move says plenty about the rookie quarterback.
“It’s really cool of him,” Fant said. “He hasn't reached a second contract or anything, and he's putting his neck out there for everybody to come and get better. That says a lot.”
Fant and Chris Olave are the only Saints players who have said they plan to attend, though Shough has kept the full list of participants private out of respect for his teammates. He said the idea is as much about time together as it is about the work.
“It’s an investment, but for me, it's just the shared time to go, the quality time, the bonding, and then you're also getting in the work,” Shough said. “It’s something that I want to do every single year, whether that's Del Mar or another place, just go spend time with guys outside of the facility and go get some work in. The memories there are awesome.”
The Saints will work out at a facility run by Todd Durkin, Brees’ longtime performance coach. Brees used to run similar summer sessions near his home during his Hall of Fame run in New Orleans, and Shough said the setting fits exactly what he wants.
“It’s pretty sweet out there,” Shough said.
The week won’t be all routes and throws. Shough has lined up golf, beach time and nightly dinners as part of the itinerary, giving the group a chance to spend real time together away from the grind.
“Tyler does it at such a first-class level, as far as getting it really well organized, being able to spend some time together, get some really good work,” Saints coach Kellen Moore said. “And tying it in with Drew obviously is an awesome opportunity for him and for our guys. And so it'll be perfect for them.”
The trip also reflects how Shough’s relationship with Brees has grown. It started last year, when Shough was still backing up Spencer Rattler, and since then he has leaned on Brees for advice about preparation, conditioning, recovery and the weekly routine that helped define his career.
“Last year when I was still a backup, I got to talk to him about his daily routine and also his mindset whenever he was a backup,” Shough said. “A lot of times people see him as the G.O.A.T. and the upper echelon of New Orleans Saints' history because of obviously his longevity here and his success, but early on his career … it wasn't necessarily perfect.
“For me, it was really cool to kind of talk to him about just his preparation, regardless of the circumstances or regardless of what people think of you. And that was big for me because shortly thereafter I got an opportunity to play and it was just kind of hit the ground running and go from there.”
Shough has already run similar sessions with Saints receivers, including Juwan Johnson and Ja’Lynn Polk, at Tulane earlier this year and in Oregon last summer. Now that he’s established as the starter, he plans to keep making the offseason gathering an annual event.
Fant said the quarterback’s approach has already earned him plenty of respect in the locker room.
“I've been telling everybody, he's such a good leader, which is somewhat uncommon for a guy that (inexperienced) in the league,” Fant said. “He’s very authentic.
He wants to be one of the guys and to connect on a deeper level (with his teammates). He just wants to be great and lead this team.
I think everybody in the locker room really loves him.”
That reaction might only grow after Del Mar.
In Other News...
Rams Backup Quarterback Debate Just Took A Serious Turn
The quarterback conversation in Los Angeles is already getting plenty of attention, and one former NFL scout has now pushed it in a direction that will interest Saints fans, too. Daniel Kelly recently made the case that Spencer Rattler should be viewed as a better backup option for Matthew Stafford than the Rams current depth behind him, pointing to Rattlers NFL experience and the way he has performed when given real work.
Rattlers case is built on more than just potential. He saw extended action for New Orleans last season, and Kelly highlighted efficiency markers that suggest he can handle the speed of the league, especially compared with Ty Simpson and Stetson Bennett, who have yet to take an NFL snap. For now, it is still just an evaluation and not a confirmed move, but it is the kind of outside noise that can quickly turn into a real roster discussion. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Fans Thought This Quarterback Drama Was Finally Over
For a while, it looked like the Saints had finally moved past the quarterback chaos that defined last season. Derek Carr was supposed to be the answer before retirement changed the plan, and New Orleans pivoted to the 2025 draft, where Tyler Shough eventually emerged from a competition with Spencer Rattler and gave the offense a steadier look.
Even with Shough in place and the team trying to build some normalcy, the Carr storyline has not gone away. The speculation has lingered long enough to keep Saints fans on edge, and Carr has not exactly helped quiet it, leaving one more layer of uncertainty around a position the franchise thought it had already settled. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Fans Already See TJ Halls Biggest Problem In New Orleans
TJ Hall arrived in New Orleans as a seventh-round corner with a reputation built more on toughness than flash, and that fits the kind of role the Saints seem ready to carve out for him. His best traits are on the physical side of the game, where his run support, tackling and reliability stand out, and those qualities should help him find a place on special teams while he learns the defense and settles into the secondary.
The challenge is that the path to real defensive snaps looks crowded early on, with established corners already in front of him on the depth chart. For now, Hall looks like the sort of developmental piece the Saints can keep around for depth and future upside, but the immediate question in New Orleans is how much room there really is for him to turn those traits into a larger role. [Read more 🡒]