As New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough sat in the star-studded NFL Honors crowd this past Thursday night in San Francisco, he watched as one of his team's legends was announced as one of the newest members of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
And someone who is already making a major impact on his NFL career.
Drew Brees, who is second all-time in passing yards in NFL history, was a lock as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and it was confirmed last week before Super Bowl LX as he was the final member of the Class of 2026 to be called out on stage.
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Brees is an NFL legend, but he is royalty where Shough is now trying to cement himself as the franchise quarterback like his predecessor did many years ago.
Shough spoke with Fox News Digital in a recent interview while in San Francisco with Panini America, where he touched on Brees' impact that has already been felt following a successful rookie campaign.
"He's awesome. He's an incredible mentor because of just who he is on and off the field," Shough said from the Panini Prizm VIP Lounge, where he and other NFL stars ripped trading card packs and enjoyed Super Bowl week in the Bay Area. "He's the pinnacle of being a quarterback in my opinion. He was big for me."
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Shough, the Saints' second-round selection out of Louisville, wasn't the 2025 Week 1 starter for first-year head coach Kellen Moore, but rather had to sit behind Spencer Rattler.
That didn't deter Shough from continuing his process of preparation, which was a sticking point in his conversations with Brees.
"I got to talk to him during the season when I was still backup about his process and, 'How do you attack each day?' It really helped me when I got my opportunity of just going out there, not making anything different and just attacking," Shough explained.
Shough eventually got his shot at being the Saints' starter, and he went 5-4 in that span, which included a four-game December win streak that ultimately solidified the Saints' belief he could be their franchise guy under center moving forward.
Despite the stamp of approval from the front office and Moore alike, Shough says he will continue to move forward with the best piece of advice Brees gave him thus far.
"For me, it was you have to treat each day and each week with your process the same, regardless of who you're playing, the outcome, what your role is," he said. "That way, whenever you're out there, the moment doesn't feel too big. I feel like that really resonated with me."
Shough said he doesn't want to ever be complacent in the NFL. After all, "Tom Brady at a certain point had to leave to another team," as Shough said. But he would obviously love to cement himself as the right fit at quarterback in New Orleans.
Heeding the advice of one of the best to ever do it in the city and the league itself is a great way to start.
"Obviously, full circle now, I just saw him this morning after he got the Hall of Fame induction and we got to talk," Shough said of Brees. "He's been big, and hopefully we can continue to grow that relationship. Just what an unbelievable example of greatness."
RIPPING PACKS AND MORE WITH PANINI
While Shough is ready to mature as a player, he felt great acting like a kid again, as he was ripping packs, signing cards and more with Panini during Super Bowl week.
As a kid, Shough was an avid collector of trading cards, so he called it a humbling experience seeing himself on one and being able to share in the excitement of fans and fellow NFL players throughout his first Super Bowl week.
"I had a couple ones," he said when asked some of the standout cards he pulled. "It was kinda crazy, the first two packs I opened, the first two cards were my Louisville one and the Saints one - it was a one out of 50, and it had a patch on it as well. Everybody was going crazy in here, because I hadn't even gotten my own card yet. I've been signing so many.
"It was kind of a dream come true to see myself on my first NFL Panini card because I was I had some in the past, but I hadn't done it yet. It's awesome being here and hanging out with everybody."
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