Saints Rookie Tyler Shough Wants to ‘Prove’ Himself as Quarterback (Exclusive)

Tyler Shough is ready to go.

The past few months have been a whirlwind for the 26-year-old NFL rookie who was selected by the New Orleans Saints with the 40th overall pick in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Not only was it “really, really cool” to receive a call from the Saints on April 25, but he was soon involved in an intense competition with Spencer Rattler for the starting quarterback position after Derek Carr’s retirement.

Ultimately, Rattler — who was selected by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft — was named QB1 for the regular season opener on Sept. 7 after a closely contested race that extended to the final preseason game, but Shough’s mindset isn’t rattled.

Shough’s self-professed “fighter’s mentality” is being put to the test, an element that he credits his mother for instilling in him since he was a young kid, the first-year QB tells PEOPLE exclusively of his mindset for his rookie season.

Shough — who played football at Oregon (2018-2020), Texas Tech (2021-2023), and Louisville (2024) across his seven-season collegiate career — spews gratitude for his journey and says “adversity” has shaped him.

“I think going through all those college experiences, all that adversity helped me sharpen my mind and turn me into who I am today,” he tells PEOPLE. “I’ve had to make new relationships at each spot. I’ve had to find my own role as a leader.”

“I’ve had to not only for a starting job everywhere I’d been, learn how to navigate those dynamics within the team, a new city,” he continues. “That really helped me in a lot with these moments that I’m in now, coming into a new environment and trying to compete for a spot and earn my role.”

He also praises his wife, Jordan, who he said “has really made the difference” in his career.

“The fact that he can be that phenomenal of a human being and then also turn on this ultra competitive switch and be a killer on the field … it’s so cool to witness and I’m so proud of that,” Jordan tells PEOPLE of her husband.

Heading into the season, Shough’s had a humble headspace. He was ready, yet aware of the increased responsibility to come with being a professional quarterback in the NFL even when the job was locked.

“For me, I want to just keep the same mindset of, ‘I got to go earn my role.’ Nothing’s given right now. Nothing’s really expected,” he said at the time, adding, “I got to continue to grow in the playbook and master that. Do everything that I can in order to put myself in that best position.”

Shough also acknowledged his place as a quarterback who doubled as a rookie, an intricate balance of impacting a field of seasoned NFL veterans and first-year players alike.

“It’s a very unique relationship because you don’t have to, but you should strive to develop a relationship one-on-one with every single guy and have that be organic in its own way,” he explains.

“You want to respect the veterans in the locker room and everything that they’ve done, but you also still want to be yourself and you want to have a presence and do your thing out there on the field,” he continues.

“For me … coming in with a mindset that I want to prove myself and earn everybody’s respect rather than I’m owed something, because I’m not,” he emphasizes. “What’s been helpful for me is getting to know people, preparing and working my butt off.”

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After making his NFL debut in preseason during his quarterback battle with Rattler, Shough played in the final minutes during the Saints’ 44-13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 3 on Sept. 21.

Shough tells PEOPLE that there wasn’t a “physical moment,” per se, that he knew he was ready for the NFL prior to being selected in the draft. However, he pinpointed the “mental switch” that was defining for his future as a pro athlete.

“I’ve always believed in my physical abilities, and over time I knew I had to get better physically, faster, stronger,” he says. “But the biggest thing was the mental switch going into Louisville … I knew in order to get there you had to make the most of your opportunity, and just play free.”

“I stopped comparing myself to other quarterbacks,” Shough adds. “When I first got to Louisville, nothing was guaranteed that I was even going to get a shot to get drafted. Having that mindset was crucial to being grateful I’m even getting to play.”

As for his message to the New Orleans Saints fans?

“The biggest thing I want to show is just how hard I play every single snap, that I’m going to be prepared and I’m going to go out there,” he tells PEOPLE. “I want them to know that I’m here to stay for everybody, for the city and they’re going to get everything out of me.”

The Saints played the Buffalo Bills on Sunday, Sept. 28, the same day Shough celebrated his 26th birthday.