Saints Commit to Tyler Shough as Franchise QB After Strong Finish and Viral Combine Clip

After stumbling out of the gate at 1–7, the New Orleans Saints quietly transformed their season behind second-round rookie Tyler Shough. The team won four of its final five games to finish 6–11, a late surge that did not earn a playoff berth but did reshape the organization’s outlook.

Shough took over the starting job in Week 9 and stabilized an offense that had struggled for most of the year. One day after the Saints publicly endorsed him as their starter for the 2026 season, however, his name began trending for a very different reason.

A video resurfaced online showing Shough at the NFL combine uncorking a wildly inaccurate throw that fluttered nowhere near its intended target. The clip quickly made the rounds on social media, injecting an awkward subplot into what had been a celebratory week for the franchise.

In an attempt at levity, the Saints responded to the viral post with a single word — “AI” — suggesting the clip was fabricated, though the truth behind the moment soon proved to be far more mundane.

1. The Combine Clip That Wouldn’t Die

The throw in question was not a deep ball into traffic or a pressured heave during a drill gone wrong. It was an awkward pocket-movement attempt that veered off course, making it easy fodder for social media accounts eager to poke holes in the Saints’ decision. The team’s tongue-in-cheek “AI” reply briefly shifted the narrative, implying the clip was some sort of digital hoax. That explanation, however, unraveled almost immediately as fans and analysts confirmed the footage was authentic. The moment might have been dismissed as a relic of the pre-draft process, but its reappearance — arriving just as Shough was being crowned the Saints’ quarterback of the future — amplified its reach. Instead of dodging the embarrassment, Shough chose to address it head-on, offering context that turned the viral gaffe into a story of spontaneity rather than incompetence.

2. Shough Explains Himself

Appearing on Pardon My Take, Shough explained that the throw was essentially a dare during the final rep of his combine workout. A coach had suggested he try a pocket-movement throw on the run, something outside the standard script. According to Shough, he decided to go for it, viewing the drill as an opportunity to show creativity rather than precision. The result, unfortunately, was a clip that has followed him ever since. He acknowledged that he has since learned to avoid creating “viral moments” whenever possible, even if the rep felt harmless at the time. In hindsight, he said, the throw was not a big deal in the moment — only later did it become a punch line. For the Saints, the episode has done little to dampen their confidence in the quarterback they believe has changed the trajectory of the franchise.

3. A Rookie Season That Changed the Plan

Embarrassing clips aside, Shough’s performance after taking over the offense forced the Saints to rethink their future. At 26, the rookie completed 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,384 yards with 10 touchdowns and six interceptions across nine starts, also adding 186 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. More important than the numbers was the shift in results. New Orleans went 5–4 in games he started after languishing at 1–7, offering a tangible sign that the team was no longer stuck in neutral. That late surge has altered the Saints’ approach to the upcoming draft. Holding the eighth overall pick, the franchise is no longer expected to target a quarterback, opting instead to build around Shough as it tries to contend in what many view as a wide-open NFC South. The Saints may have missed the playoffs for a fifth consecutive year, but in committing to Shough, they have embraced a belief that their long search for a franchise quarterback may finally be over.