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NEW ORLEANS — Saints quarterback Tyler Shough had trouble putting his past few weeks into words.
It has been a series of celebrations for the 26-year-old, who finished second in the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year voting, rode in his first Mardi Gras parade and welcomed his first child, a son named Grayson, with his wife, Jordan.
Videos from the Saints social media account showed Shough firing passes off a float that included Saints center Erik McCoy and tight end Foster Moreau. The video posted on X drew more than 200 comments, most of them joking about how hard Shough was throwing the toy footballs.
“I was looking for some new receivers, some new recruits,” Shough joked. “Honestly, I don’t even really remember throwing it that hard. I saw the video after. I was like, ‘Dang, got to take it easy, but it was a blast.'”
The people’s rookie of the year 🙌 pic.twitter.com/oSKX2qJCYr
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) February 8, 2026
Taking it easy isn’t something Shough has had time to do. He was in San Francisco for NFL Honors on Feb. 5, where his father-in-law, Derek Wormdahl, served as one of the presenters for the Rookie of the Year award, which went to Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
He was back in New Orleans two days later to ride in the parade as the grand marshal of the Krewe of Pygmalion.
“Speechless comes to mind … I was not expecting that big a turnout in the first week of Mardi Gras. I knew it was hectic, but it was really special,” Shough said. “But the main thing I really enjoyed was just being able to do it with my teammates. I mean, it was an all-day event. … We were eating, drinking, listening to music, having fun, and then the parade starts and it’s like non-stop. Yeah, it was awesome … . It’s just the most fun, insane [thing]. Everyone’s just screaming. It’s really cool.”
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Grayson was born later that week.
“It was kind of — go from San Francisco … doing the Honors and then coming right into Mardi Gras and everything that goes with Mardi Gras and then right into fatherhood,” Shough said. “I’m running on fumes, but it was probably the most fun week of my life, and the most action-packed week of my life thus far, outside of hopefully some cool football events in the future, it’s been a lot of fun, but we’re just kind of embracing the chaos.”
One year ago, Shough was preparing for the NFL draft, where he was selected by the Saints with the No. 40 pick. While the rookie didn’t earn the Saints’ starting job until midway through the season, he made a point to be involved in his new community. Shough tried local restaurants, joked about driving into potholes, worked out with his new teammates and bought a house in the area as soon as he arrived.
Shough’s goal to embrace New Orleans came from watching former Saints quarterback Drew Brees. The former QB, who also rode in a Mardi Gras parade this year, was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year and is a beloved community figure.
The weeks ahead will be the calm before the storm for Shough, who plans to take it easy before OTAs begin in May. Right now, he says he just wants to enjoy the quiet time with his family after a whirlwind year.
“I’m really looking forward to just being able to be there for Jordan and help out. I know my role [will be] limited as far as the life-giving capacity right now, but just kind of helping out and I’m really excited to be able to be at home,” Shough said.
Tyler Shough the most polished and pro ready QB that took part in the actual workout tonight at the #NFLCombine and went through the entire workout. Athleticism, feet, drops, arm strength, touch, accuracy, decision making. It’s all there. @tylershough2 @LouisvilleFB @JeffBrohm
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) March 2, 2025
“When we first got to New Orleans, we were right into football, right into the season, and now this has been one of my favorite times because I get to be at home and be a good husband and dad and I get to go out and do Mardi Gras and try out different restaurants and do all these kinds of things where you get to really experience with NOLA where I feel like having that whole experience with Mardi Gras, working out here, running into people, really makes you appreciate this place even more, rather than just in-season.”
And as for the 2026 season ahead, Shough hopes to master coach Kellen Moore’s offense since he’ll have a full offseason to work with the coach and the offense and what that might look like moving forward.
“One thing that [the coaches] really communicated is they don’t want to put, there’s not any pressure, because I’ve only played half a season and we got so much more to go, so I think it was the main thing is just kind of take it day by day and game by game and just keep getting better because this is a long road [ahead],” Shough said.
