It’s rare for a rookie quarterback to walk into the NFL already feeling the weight of the hot seat. But when your veteran starter abruptly decides to hang it up just months before week 1, the pressure doesn’t exactly wait its turn. The Saints weren’t scrambling for a quarterback when the offseason began. Then Derek Carr stunned the building by stepping away, and suddenly, every question mark pointed straight at Tyler Shough.

Shough, ever self-assured, didn’t hesitate to share his perspective on Carr’s retirement. The former Louisville quarterback admitted he was eager to soak up knowledge from a veteran presence. Still, even with Carr stepping away, Shough made it clear he plans to compete without hesitation. “I think, regardless, I think it would have been great just because of who he is and how high of a level he’s played at to come in and learn from, and I’m going to come in and compete, regardless, and try to get better,” he explained on the St. Brown Podcast.

And well, he needs to. Because somehow, Tyler Shough has found himself on the hot seat in his rookie season. To spice things up, the rumors are swirling that Kellen Moore and Co. are eyeing to pursue Archie Manning’s grandson, Arch Manning, in 2027—per Mike Florio. It makes perfect sense when you consider the legacy Arch carries. And thus, as Florio mentions in his report, Shough needs to perform well enough to earn a chance to do it again in 2026 and likely prevent the Saints from pursuing the Texas Longhorns’ quarterback.

Florio believes that Manning will start for a couple of seasons in Texas before declaring for the NFL draft. As a freshman, the 21-year-old Texas quarterback spent the year buried on the depth chart behind Quinn Ewers and Maalik Murphy. But with Murphy now at Oregon and Ewers gearing up for his rookie NFL season, the path is finally clear. Arch Manning is poised to take over as the Longhorns’ full-time starter.

“I want to be the quarterback at the University of Texas. Sometimes it’s worth the wait,” Manning said. The last time we watched someone from the Manning family playing for the Saints was back in 1981 when Archie Manning played his last season in New Orleans. Since then? Well, there’s no doubt we’ve already watched Archie’s sons—Peyton and Eli in the NFL. And of course, both of them had a Super Bowl-winning career. But not with the Saints.

Peyton went on to have a Hall of Fame career with the Colts and wrapped his career with a Super Bowl win with the Broncos. Eli, on the other hand, isn’t inducted into the Pro Football HOF, but he indeed had a top-tier career with the Giants, winning a couple of Super Bowls. Fast forward to today, and Arch Manning is working relentlessly to chart his own path to the NFL.

Could it be the Saints who eventually call his name? If so, it’d be something special to watch another Manning suit up in New Orleans. The catch? Well, Arch isn’t in a rush.

Arch Manning might take two years to arrive in the NFL

Arch Manning stayed in Texas while serving as a third-string quarterback to Ewers and Murphy, even though he could have started for other programs. Fast forward to now, and Archie Manning’s grandson is still committed to Texas. But this time, as a starting quarterback. “I know Arch really likes Texas,” Peyton Manning said. “He chose Texas because of more than just the football program. He likes the school, he’s got good friends on the team and off the team.”

And now that he’s all set to start for the Longhorns, he’s already under the spotlight ahead of his first full season. But one question emerged: When will we see another Manning in the NFL? Well, Mike Florio also predicted that the Saints could draft Arch Manning in the 2027 NFL draft. Yep, you read that right. Not next year. But a couple of years later.

“I think Arch Manning will spend two years as a college starter before entering the draft,” Florio said. We’ve seen that script unfold before in the NFL. Take Tyler Shough, for instance. Injuries interrupted three seasons of his NFL career before he finally had a full season as a starting quarterback at Louisville. And after seven years, the QB finally arrived in the NFL.

Arch, on the other hand, isn’t injured, sure. And he definitely isn’t going to take seven long years. But he has yet to play a full season as the starting quarterback. While some might argue otherwise, Manning taking a couple more years might just make sense.