Mickey Loomis: High expectations for Tyler Shough next year, but we can't skip any steps

The Saints took their time before turning to Tyler Shough at quarterback during the 2025 season and General Manager Mickey Loomis doesn't want to rush any further stages of his development heading into the 2026 campaign.

Shough started the final nine games for the Saints and the team went 5-4 in those contests after starting the year 1-7. Shough completed 67.6 of his passes while throwing for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for three scores.

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Loomis and head coach Kellen Moore left no doubt that Shough is their starter as they move into the offseason, but Loomis noted that the team's excitement about Shough's start can't allow them to jump over any parts of the process.

"Again, we’re excited about Tyler . . . but we have to remember that he hasn't had 17 starts yet, so we're going to go into next season with these high expectations and there's nothing wrong with that," Loomis said, via Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com. "But we also have to temper that by the fact that . . . he's a second-year quarterback and he's had less than full season to start. So we've got to keep that in mind as we go forward. There are building blocks here and we cannot skip any steps."

The Saints have the eighth pick in the first round and Shough's presence will allow them to address other needs with that pick and throughout the offseason.