The biggest news of the New Orleans Saints offseason wasn't the team hiring Kellen Moore as head coach, or their decision to draft Kelvin Banks Jr. in the first round. It was Derek Carr's surprise retirement due to a serious shoulder injury. The Saints drafted Carr's replacement in the second round, and for his part, Tyler Shough is excited to seize the opportunity Carr's retirement creates for him.
Shough sat down with Amon-Ra St. Brown and his brother Equanimeous on the St. Brown Podcast to talk about his college career, the start of his NFL journey, and his experience with the Saints so far. He was asked about learning the news of Carr's retirement and what that opportunity meant for him.
"Kellen told me before they announced it (before) practice, which was good. I think I had media later that day and they didn't want me to go in blind," Shough reflected. "But like you said, the word 'opportunity' just sticks in my head. Regardless (of whether Carr retired or not) I think it would've been great just because of who he is and how high of a level he's played at, to come in and learn from, I'm going to come in and compete regardless and try to get better. I think for me and what I've been through, I've been carted off the field, I've been booed, I've been the MVP, I've been the starter, I've been the backup to (Justin) Herbert."
It's clear that Shough is keeping perspective about all this, finishing: "I'm still a rookie. I may be older but I've got to earn the respect of everybody and do my job."
Amon-Ra St. Brown made note of that -- he and Shough were part of the same high school class and their birthdays are only separated by a month, but he's already played in 70 NFL games (including the playoffs) and is preparing for Year 5, while Shough's career is just starting. To that point, Shough said it's important that guys not compare themselves to each other.
"I think the biggest thing from that, is just like, high school kids, college kids watching, don't compare yourselves to others. Do it from a competitive standpoint but don't let it shut you down. I always thought I was better than the guys in my class coming out at the Opening. That's innate, my innate belief, and you see guys like Trevor Lawrence -- three-year career, win a national championship, and I'm like, 'Man that would have been sick.' And year after year you see guys get drafted like, 'Man I'm better than this dude, I'm better than this dude.' But you kind of have to go through your own circumstance and opportunity to grow as a person and a player because if I would have had three-years, four-years career who knows? I may be entitled or I may be out of the league at this point," Shough said.
It's a great stance to take; it's natural to feel competitive and use that as fuel, but development isn't linear, and everyone takes their own journey. Shough's maturity shines through in moments like this. Maybe it makes a difference as he prepares to compete with Spencer Rattler to start in Carr's place this summer.
