Drew Brees Weighs In on the Saints’ QB Dilemma
Since Drew Brees hung up his cleats, the New Orleans Saints have been on a quest to find their next franchise quarterback—with little success so far. Their most recent attempt involved signing Derek Carr to a lucrative four-year, \$150 million deal in free agency. However, just two seasons into that contract, Carr opted to retire this offseason because of a shoulder injury.
Now, the Saints have three young signal-callers—Spencer Rattler, Tyler Shough, and Jake Haener—vying for the starting role. Each brings promise, but none is without their share of questions.
On that note, Brees—the Hall of Fame quarterback—offered his take on his former team’s situation and the looming quarterback battle.
“I’ve witnessed exactly what the fans have,” he admitted. “I haven’t really studied his college tape in depth, but what stands out most to me is how he handles adversity,” Brees remarked about Shough.
What challenges did Shough overcome? Over six college seasons, he broke his collarbone in 2021, re-injured it in 2022, and then suffered a fractured fibula in 2023. Having fought through all those setbacks, he’s now poised to kick off his NFL career.
Brees expects Shough to face strong competition from the other two young quarterbacks as well.
“I’m not handing the job to anyone right now,” he said. “I know we drafted Tyler Shough, but I’m sure Jake Haener and Spencer Rattler have something to say about that.”
For first-year head coach Kellen Moore, the challenge is clear: turning New Orleans back into a serious NFC contender won’t be easy. Securing a reliable starting quarterback is the top priority. Brees may not know which of the three will win the job, but he’s optimistic about all of them.
