There are two New Orleans Saints whose NFL futures are most closely tied to the team's results on the field in 2025.
First-time head coach Kellen Moore is taking over a Saints team that went 5-12 last season, and that most evaluators think will be worse in 2025. And he's tasked with coaching up a rookie projected starting quarterback in Tyler Shough, who was a second-round pick and the third QB taken in his draft class.
Moore was the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl-winning Philadelphia Eagles, but during that run, Shough was leading a 9-4 University of Louisville team as a 25-year-old. Can that partnership turn into something productive?
One NFL writer isn't feeling optimistic.
On Wednesday, Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski projected a 3-14 record for the Saints in year one of Moore's tenure, ranking him seventh out of seven among the new head coaches around the league based on their probability to succeed right away.
"Moore left the best situation in football for the worst. Currently, the Saints have the longest betting odds to win a championship entering the 2025 campaign. Their roster is generally viewed as the league's worst as well," Sobleski wrote.
"Not to pile on, but New Orleans doesn't have an answer quarterback, either... The organization did sink a second-round pick into Louisville's Tyler Shough, though he'll be a 26-year-old rookie who only started for a full season once in college and has an extensive injury history."
If the Saints did go 3-14. Moore probably wouldn't be fired unless there were off-field factors at play. But he'd certainly be under a microscope moving forward, and he'd probably be starting over with a new quarterback if Shough was the one to lead them to that record.
At this point, it's clear that just about everyone outside the New Orleans locker room is doubting this Saints team. How will they respond?
