Saints GM Mickey Loomis high on QB Tyler Shough and noncommittal on aging veterans

By Canadian Press on January 7, 2026.

METAIRIE, La. (AP) — If Saints quarterback Tyler Shough was seeking an endorsement from general manager Mickey Loomis, he could start with the way Loomis talked about how he plans to use New Orleans’ eighth overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft.

The Saints will be free to “take the best player that’s available that can impact our team, as opposed to, we have to have this position or that position,” Loomis said Wednesday while reviewing New Orleans’ season.

In other words, the Saints won’t feel compelled to use a high draft choice on a QB after watching Shough win five of his nine starts as a rookie this season on a team plagued by skill-position injuries. New Orleans finished 6-11 under first-year coach Kellen Moore.

Loomis said the Saints were “obviously pleased,” and not necessarily surprised, by the 26-year-old Shough’s performance after being drafted 40th overall out of Louisville last spring.

“We thought a lot of him going into the draft,” Loomis said. “That’s why we drafted him.”

Less certain are the futures of veterans Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis and Taysom Hill, although Loomis indicated that the Saints were interested in at least exploring the possibility of keeping them around.

“On the surface, we definitely want to have them back, but there are so many other variables,” Loomis said.

None of them are under contract and it’s unclear if the 35-year-old Hill wants to continue his career.

Jordan and Davis, who both turn 37 before next season, have said they intend to keep playing and would prefer to stay in New Orleans.

The defensive captains were rather productive at age 36. Jordan’s 10 1/2 sacks led the team, as did Davis’ career-high 143 tackles.

Loomis said Jordan’s sack total exceeded expectations and that he continues to be impressed by Jordan’s durability.

“His greatest quality is he’s always available,” Loomis said of Jordan, who played in all 17 games this season. “It’s a miracle.”

Davis also played in every game.

Hill missed the first four games while recovering from knee surgery in late 2024 and then was knocked from last Sunday’s game with an injured AC joint in his shoulder.

Moore, who was hired last February after winning a Super Bowl as Philadelphia’s offensive coordinator, spoke highly of the leadership Hill provided to the Saints’ younger quarterbacks.

But Moore, too, was noncommittal about bringing back any veterans who are not under contract.

“We’ll talk through all that,” Moore said. “The offseason is the offseason for a reason. You let the emotions get away from all these seasons and all that sort of stuff, and take some time, and we’ll have plenty of discussions with everyone.”

Moore, the NFL’s youngest coach at 37, had a difficult start, winning two of his first 12 games before finishing with four victories in the last five.

The Saints wound up winning one more game in 2025 than in 2024, when coach Dennis Allen was fired nine games in.

“He’s done an excellent job and under some really difficult circumstances,” Loomis said, noting that Moore had to open the season without his projected veteran starter at QB after Derek Carr retired unexpectedly.

Moore “didn’t bat an eye,” Loomis said. “There are circumstances and things that come up during the course of a year that you can think you’re prepared for, but you’re really not, because you haven’t been put in that position.

“In virtually every case, he handled it really well,” Loomis continued. “That’s been exciting to see.”

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Brett Martel, The Associated Press