Saints QB Tyler Shough details how he plans to work with Drew Brees in preparations for 2026
New Orleans Saints legendary quarterback Drew Brees has plans to mentor the team’s new starting quarterback, Tyler Shough, this offseason.
Shough recently went on former Saints offensive lineman Terron Armstead’s podcast and revealed his offseason plans with the future Hall of Famer.
The Brees Getaway
“I know we’re going to make a trip out to San Diego, all the receivers, hopefully soon,” Shough said.
Armstead quickly recalled that Brees had a similar practice each offseason when he was still playing for the Saints.
“Oh wow, that was his thing,” Armstead said. “That was his yearly offseason operation.”
“It’s still in the works,” Shough said.
Shough said Brees is organizing the workout sessions, and he hopes the 47-year-old is also taking part in some of the workouts.
“He can’t throw anymore with his right arm,” Armstead said. “He’s pretty nasty with the left, though. Like, pretty accurate.”
Mentorship
Shough said he’s appreciative of the relationship he’s built with Brees.
“He was big for me at the kind of like, mid point of the season,” Shough said. “I got to meet him a couple of times at training camp. I hadn’t gotten to really chop it up with him, though. It was just like shaking hands and saying, ‘What’s up?’”
Shough became the Saints’ starter in Week 9 as a rookie this past season. It was around that time that Shough said he had an hour-long phone conversation with Brees on his process.
“I reached out to him because everybody was like, ‘Drew Brees used to be at the facility for 15 hours a day,’” Shough said. “There was this legend of Drew Brees. We discussed a routine, but I wanted to know what his mindset was like when he came from San Diego to here. What was his mindset as a younger player?”
Familiarity through generations
Shough pointed out everything that went into Brees taking over as the Saints’ quarterback when he was 27. The quarterback was just coming off a career-threatening dislocated shoulder injury in 2005 with the San Diego Chargers. Shough, now 26, said he was in college for so long because of his extensive injury history. While in school, Shough suffered collarbone and lower leg injuries that ended multiple seasons for him.
“How do you go about earning everybody’s respect? How do you get people to come into the building on the off day?” Shough said some of the other questions he’s asked Brees. “He’s such a valuable asset for me because the same people are still in the building, and he understands what goes on behind it.”
Shough said he grew up watching the legendary Tom Brady and Rams QB Matthew Stafford, and he compares his game to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
A 2025 NFL Rookie of the Year finalist, Shough has said he plans to spend the majority of his first NFL offseason in New Orleans because his wife is expecting the birth of their first child in February. Shough looks forward to participating in his first Mardi Gras and exploring more of the city’s cuisine options.
