Archie Manning

Tyler Shough's got the Saints gig locked as 2026 starter after a 5-4 rookie stretch with 2,384 yards, 67.6% completions, and 10 TDs—solid, but Archie's the bar: 23,911 career yards, 125 TDs over a decade of black-and-gold chaos on losing squads. Shough's flashing promise like a young Manning minus the perpetual heartbreak; give him Archie's arm in today's spread offenses, and who knows?

Nah, Archie's not in Canton—no bust waiting for the Manning patriarch despite those gunslinger heroics in New Orleans' lean years. With 23,911 yards and 125 TDs across 13 seasons, he carried brutal Saints teams like a one-man bailout, but voters favored rings over resilience. Eli and Peyton punched their tickets; Archie? Forever the people's QB.

In 2026, Archie's easing into grandfather mode at 77, still wheeling around Philadelphia for Eagles games to cheer grandkids, mixing in golf, fishing, and those Louisiana charity gigs he never quit. No broadcasting booth, just quiet legend status—dishing wisdom to Saints hopefuls like Shough while sipping chicory coffee, proving class ages like fine bourbon.

Archie's noodle arm and pocket poise would've feasted in today's no-hit-pass-rusher paradise—think 15.35 rating ballooning past 90 with RPOs and quick releases. Those Saints scrambles? Modern mobile QB gold. He'd carve defenses like a hot knife, maybe sniffing playoffs instead of 1-7 black holes, but that '70s mullet might draw flags.

Archie posted a 15.35 rating slinging for Saints also-rans; Drew Brees? 53.49 over a decade of dome dominance, turning the Superdome into a TD factory. Both franchise saviors, but Brees was surgical precision to Archie's wild-west flair—think gunslinger vs. metronome. Archie endured the pain; Drew delivered the parade.