The New Orleans Saints are not having a good season, and although there is some hope that rookie QB Tyler Shough will secure the starting job for the foreseeable future, it is by no means a guarantee. The rookie has neither misplayed nor done enough, so it is really up in the air.
There are many directions the Saints could take with their next franchise quarterback, and recent comments by a certain quarterback from the AFC North have fueled speculation.
Joe Burrow Reveals He Grew Up as a Saints Fan
Before the night of the Thanksgiving game between the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens, Bengals QB Joe Burrow was talking with the media.
During this time, he revealed how his fandom came ot be, “I liked college football, so I liked Reggie Bush. And then when Reggie Bush got to the league, I started being a Saints fan, and I started liking Drew Brees.”
Joe Burrow on who he used on Madden growing up:
“I always played with the Saints. I wasn’t a Bengals fan for real.”
“I liked college football, so I liked Reggie Bush. And then when Reggie Bush got to the league, I started being a Saints fan.”
(🎥 via @GSorrentinoTV) pic.twitter.com/GhkgmCtelp
— SleeperBengals (@SleeperBengals) November 28, 2025
Obviously, when a star QB like Burrow, with his already strong ties to Louisiana through LSU and his success there, speaks about his Saints fandom, the idea of him becoming the future QB starts flooding fans’ minds.
The Bengals would have to be willing to part with Burrow, and if that happens, the trade partner would need sufficient cap space and draft capital to make it happen.
For New Orleans, they may be able to create the draft capital to get a deal done, but the cap space is the biggest issue, because this team cannot handle a contract like Burrow’s. For his current contract, the star QB is getting around $50 million annually. With how much work the Saints roster needs and the lack of cap space going into 2026 (projected around -$10 million), it would not be easy to get the deal done.
Still, with the Saints’ prospects not looking particularly promising, an injection of talent at QB would make sense.
Another factor that may prevent the Saints from even looking for another quarterback is Shough. He has played well so far in his short time as a starter, with excellent moments at times. The rookie is showing real potential to go with him in 2026. Per PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, Shough was the 4th-ranked QB in week 10, which shows the heights he can get to.