New Orleans Saints general manager Mickey Loomis and head coach Kellen Moore held a joint press conference Wednesday to wrap up the 2025 season. For about 50 minutes, he answered questions from local media on a variety of topics and gave some insight into immediate plans.
Here are some great quotes and key statements from reporters yesterday:
advertise
Mickey Loomis on whether quarterback Tyler Shough’s success is surprising:
“I don’t know that it’s a surprise to us, we collectively thought he was going to be in the draft. So, we felt like this guy had a chance to be a really good quarterback in the league, and that’s why we drafted him. So, I don’t think surprise is the right word. He’s progressed maybe a little faster than we expected, but I think our coaches did a great job with him and I think our guys embraced the opportunity and obviously, the players themselves embraced the opportunity.”
Kellen Moore on Tyler Shough’s performance solidifying his status as starting quarterback:
“We feel good about Tyler. Tyler has done a great job throughout this process, getting better, taking advantage of a lot of opportunities, and we’re excited to have a full offseason to continue to develop.”
advertise
Mickey Loomis on Kellen Moore’s first season as head coach:
“I thought he did an outstanding job in some very difficult situations. We hired Kellen in a series of situations related to the quarterback and then things changed dramatically and he didn’t blink. He was just good, what do we have to do next and how do we attack it? That started from the beginning. Just impressive. And then over the course of the season, obviously, situations and things come up throughout the year that you might think you’re prepared for but you really aren’t because you haven’t been put in the position yet, and I think in almost every situation, he’s handled it really well, which is exciting.”
Mickey Loomis on veterans set to become free agents this year:
“We go through a process at the end of the season; it’s an evaluation and then a decision, do they want to come back? Do we want them back? There are a lot of variables even after that. What’s the contract situation? What’s the timeline? There are so many variables that I can’t give you a definite answer, but look, I’m excited to hear these guys announce that they want to be back here and I will say, on the face of it, we definitely want them back, but there are so many variables that I can’t answer right now.”
advertise
Mickey Loomis on Saints salary cap situation:
“Obviously, what we have to do to get to the cap has been reduced over the past two or three years. This will be the easiest job Khai has had to do in the past few years, which is a good feeling.”
Mickey Loomis on their current outlook for the 2026 NFL Draft:
“I think we’re going to have an opportunity to impact our team and I’m excited about the draft class that’s coming up. I’ve had discussions with Jeff and his staff and there’s a lot of players that fit a lot of different positions for us, so I’m excited about that. I think the depth of the draft class right now is looking pretty good and I think we’re going to be able to draft the best players that can impact our team. Instead of us having to have this position or that position, obviously, there will be positions that we prefer, but I don’t think we’re going to be in a position where we have to get this particular position.”
advertise
Mickey Loomis pleads if Drew Brees plays in Hall of Fame game as expected:
“Obviously, we’ve thought about it. I don’t want to just assume that he’s going to be in the Hall of Fame, but, yeah, I think it would be a great thing for a team to go through the whole Hall of Fame experience and it’s a great thing for anyone involved in football and any football fan. In fact, if Drew is inducted, I think it would be a great thing for us to be in that game.”
Moore and Loomis said the coaching staff will take the next 10 days to rest. After a short break, they will begin to evaluate players and then begin to formulate offseason plans.
So, although the 2025 season has ended, the work of the Saints has never stopped. The Saints will be focusing on some important upcoming events: the Senior Bowl in late January, the NFL combine in February, the start of free agency in March and, of course, the NFL draft in April.
As always, the Canal Street Chronicle will keep you up to date with all the latest Saints news and information.
