All these months later, Tyler Shough still chuckles at the thought of his dog’s reaction on draft night. There were the quarterback and his family, ecstatic after the New Orleans Saints selected him with the 40th overall pick. And there was Murphy, the dark red-haired golden retriever, jumping up and down.

Murphy might not have known exactly what was happening, but she knew it was a moment to celebrate.

“She was just chilling the whole time and wasn’t really doing anything,” Shough said, “and then as soon as everyone got hyped, she wants to be involved.”

Murphy’s excitement went viral, with multiple outlets (including this one) proclaiming the dog stole the show. There was also the adorable image of Murphy wearing a Saints-branded dog bandana, which the Shoughs put on once the quarterback found out where he was headed.

Shough was glad the public enjoyed it, but his companion’s reaction signified something deeper. It was indicative, he said, of how much Murphy means and how her arrival coincided with the quarterback’s winding path to the NFL.

When training camp begins Wednesday for the Saints, Shough will step onto the field as he seeks to become the team’s starting quarterback. Drafted in the second round out of Louisville, the 25-year-old is the franchise’s highest-selected signal-caller in 54 years. Though he must first win the competition against Spencer Rattler, if he performs as expected, Shough is who the Saints’ new coaching staff has handpicked to guide the team into a new era.

The journey hasn’t been easy, given all of Shough’s adversity in college — three schools, seven years and numerous injuries.

Shough credits his support system — led by his wife, Jordan, and Murphy — for helping him push through. Between the broken bones, the grueling rehab and the ascension of his sole season at Louisville, they were there at Shough’s side.

“The biggest thing with Murphy is she doesn’t care how your day went, whether you played good or played bad,” Shough said.

Friends in need

The first thing that stood out was the smell.

In December 2022, after his second season at Texas Tech, Shough had made up his mind that it was time for Jordan and him to get a dog. They both grew up in dog households, so Tyler found a farm in Fort Worth where they could adopt a golden retriever puppy. So on Jordan’s birthday, they made the five-hour drive from Lubbock to pick up eight-week-old Murphy.

Right away, it was apparent they were adopting a farm dog.

“She smelled like cow poop,” Shough said.

“We (had) to immediately give her a bath,” Jordan said with a laugh.

Jordan likes to refer to Murphy, named after a character in Christopher Nolan’s “Interstellar,” as a therapy dog. At the time, her husband was recovering from surgery for a broken collarbone that limited his year to seven games. Murphy, she said, provided a “disruption” that the couple could “pour everything into.” And Jordan even found how helpful having the dog could be.

At first, Jordan was hesitant about whether the timing was right for them to adopt a dog. After playing soccer at Oregon, where she met Tyler, she agreed to move to Texas with Tyler and started her first job out of college as a seventh-grade science teacher. She was worried about the commitment the dog would require, but Tyler’s calmness convinced her.

“That’s pretty much how our big decisions happen,” she says, “He’s the calm one that’s like, ‘It’s going to be OK. It’s gonna work out.’ And then I’m the one questioning it a little more.

“But yeah, it turned out to be the best thing ever.”

Murphy quickly became a fixture not just for the Shoughs, but also in the Texas Tech community. In the era of name, image and likeness deals, Murphy even got her own endorsement from a doggy daycare named WagBnb. The sponsorship gave Murphy a place to stay when the Shoughs traveled to road games.

Clearing the mind

For the first three days after Shough broke his leg four games into his 2023 campaign, Murphy stayed in the quarterback’s lap.

Shough vividly remembers what he called the lowest point of his college career. A defensive lineman had broken Shough’s leg on a hip-drop tackle, and though he tried to play through the pain, he was carted off one play after. Shough couldn’t walk, wondered about his future and even briefly contemplated retirement.

Murphy could tell Shough was in pain. Jordan remembers how Murphy would spend “all day” by her husband’s side.

But by the fourth day, Shough sensed a shift in the dog.

“She was like, ‘All right, let’s get up,’” Shough said.

Over the next few weeks, that’s when the walks began. Initially, Shough was bound to a knee scooter. But, despite the limited mobility, the quarterback found comfort in the way his dog would get excited for those trips.

When coming off an injury like a broken leg, Shough says there’s a period of self-pity that kicks in. Factor in the two previous broken collarbones — one in 2021 and another a year later — Shough couldn’t be blamed if he wondered if someone, or something, had it out for him. But it was on those walks with Murphy that Shough gained perspective, a sense of clarity that he said made him grateful for all that he endured.

For one to two miles, as he progressed physically and worked his way back into shape, Shough was able to escape. Not just literally from the home he was cooped up in — but from football and that day’s workload.

Murphy wouldn’t allow Shough’s mind to wander, anyway. Shough often had to keep his dog from chasing after squirrels, pointing at birds or drifting off to trees for sticks and branches.

“That’s really the best part about it is going on those adventures,” Shough said. “To me, that’s what life is about.”

Jordan could see how Murphy was helping. After all, she knew better than anyone how the quarterback’s injury affected him. She was the one who bathed Shough with a wet rag when he couldn’t move, who helped him fall asleep on those restless nights after the injury. This isn’t lost on Shough, either. He credits Jordan as his “primary support,” thankful she was there.

But Murphy cared, too.

“It helped him a lot,” Jordan said, “just having this dog that just loves him regardless of everything else happening in his life.”

The breakout

Shough didn’t know what to expect when he first transferred to Louisville last year. He said he certainly didn’t envision that it make him a second-round draft pick.

All he wanted was a shot. He wanted to make it through a year healthy. And he looked forward to coach Jeff Brohm’s pro-style offense, thinking it was a scheme in which he could thrive. He was ready for a new adventure.

“I was hopeful that he was hungry,” Brohm said.

Brohm’s hopes were soon realized. The coach learned quickly that Shough was willing to put in the work and could process everything his offense asked. Brohm wasn’t concerned about Shough’s injury history, either. He had a plan to keep the quarterback out of harm’s way, keeping him mostly in the pocket rather than on designed quarterback runs.

As they started to work together, Brohm saw how Shough’s adversity had come to shape him. There was a maturity about him, Brohm said. And his work ethic fueled what was ultimately a successful pairing: For the first time as a starter in college, Shough made it through the year completely healthy. And he had results to show for it, leading Louisville to an 8-4 record with more than 3,000 passing yards.

Life in Louisville became normal as well. While Shough was ascending, he had Jordan and Murphy to fall back on. They had found their go-to dog park, their favorite pet store and plenty of other places where Murphy could roam around.

“The nicest part is she’s just attached to us,” Jordan said. “Like, we’re our own little family. … We’re excited to go to new places because of her, (just) because she’s so excited. She’s so resilient when she’s moved. We’ve driven across the country multiple times. She loves it.”

Shough’s breakout caught the eye of NFL teams, including the Saints. Suddenly, one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s draft, Shough prepared for every team — with Jordan providing an assist by quizzing him on different playbooks and specific plays, a process that dated to their time in college.

The Saints made their interest apparent at Louisville’s pro day in March. Quarterbacks coach Scott Tolzien took Shough out for lunch, followed by what Shough said was “extensive board work” in a meeting with coach Kellen Moore and the rest of the Saints’ contingent on the trip. They then later hosted him for a pre-draft visit.

“There was a lot to like on his tape,” said Tolzien, who raved about Shough’s accuracy. “And then you see him in person, and it confirms a lot of that stuff.”

Coming home

Now, another adventure begins.

Shough has spent the last few months integrating into New Orleans. He shucked an oyster and tried crawfish. He popped a tire on a pothole. He stuck around the area after offseason workouts concluded and volunteered at the Manning Passing Academy.

He has settled in, allowing him to focus mainly on football. The stakes, too, are clear. Even beyond the drama of quarterback competition, Shough must play well enough this season to quiet chatter that the Saints could be in the market for another rookie signal-caller in 2026 if they finish with one of the worst records in the NFL. The projected top of next year’s quarterback class — Texas’ Arch Manning (grandson of Saints legend Archie Manning) and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier (son of Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier) — hold strong ties to the organization, as well.

“I got to see him through every kind of hard battle, every tough game, every big move across the country,” Jordan said. “He’s the same person. He’s pretty unshakeable. … The biggest thing I’ve noticed, especially in the last few years, is he loves this more than anything.

“It’s pretty evident, especially being somebody that lives with him.”

Shough gets home and often wants to put on film, Jordan said. And the quarterback lights up when talking about his day at the facility, she added. That conversation even ropes in Murphy, whom Jordan said Tyler addresses as if she were a person.

Shough said he isn’t sure how he’ll balance the grind of the regular season while finding time to take Murphy out on their usual walks. And if his career truly takes off, the reality is he might become too famous to be walking around the neighborhood with his dog, anyway.

But if the trips have to be put on pause, or if more challenging times lay ahead, Shough can always still come home to her eagerly waiting.

Just as it has been from state to state, year after year.