The New Orleans Saints are dealing with a hurdle that they wouldn't have expected a couple of months ago during the 2025 NFL Draft. They've signed most of their rookie class already, except second-round quarterback Tyler Shough. Shough is one of many second-rounders that haven't inked their rookie contract yet.
A hefty aspect of that situation is due to the teams who picked at the start of round two. The Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns shook up NFL negotiations when they handed out fully-guaranteed deals to their second-round picks, Jayden Higgins and Carson Schwesinger.
As more deals come through for second-round picks (not all of which have full guarantees), a major question remains for New Orleans' front office. Should the Saints give Shough a fully-guaranteed contract in order to reach the finish line on negotiations?
Why the Saints should give guaranteed deal to Shough
The explanation here is a fairly simple one. The Saints aren't planning to punt on this season, regardless of national media expectations. If head coach Kellen Moore believes there is a reasonable chance that Shough his the best option at quarterback for this season, and possibly in the long-term, then you find a way to get this deal done.
Spencer Rattler did not prove to be a sure-fire franchise QB option last season. He was a rookie, and he was the backup to Derek Carr. Forced into action, Rattler showed some upside and bright moments, but there was plenty of inconsistency on a weekly basis. He's locked into this QB battle with the rookie.
Now, enter this early second round pick in Shough. Moore has sung his praises on multiple occasions and clearly thinks enough of him to select him with the 40th overall pick. The Saints overlooked round one options and zeroed in on Shough during the process.
Recent second-round pick signings that have not been completely guaranteed have also presented a sort of precedent for a Shough contract. Alfred Collins (pick 43) signed his contract with the San Francisco 49ers this week. That deal included 88% of the money guaranteed.
If Shough and his agent are not willing to sign for that amount of guarantees, can the Saints really choose to not ink him to a deal due to around 10% of the contract's money? That seems a bit misled - if you believed that this could be your franchise quarterback back in April when you picked him.
This is good news for the #Saints and Tyler Shough.
Shough, drafted 40th overall, now has a ceiling and floor for GTD money in his contract.
Last year’s No. 40 overall player received 80.4% of his contract GTD. Now Shough will be somewhere between 88% and 100%. https://t.co/wBF8wrj2va— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) July 17, 2025
Why the Saints should not give guaranteed deal to Shough
I discussed the flip-side of this dilemma for the Saints with fellow A to Z Sports contributor Ryan Roberts. He revealed understandable reasoning why the Saints shouldn't follow the fully-guaranteed precedent that some other teams have set with second-round selections.
There’s a lot of reasons for the Saints to opt to pay Shough a fully guaranteed contract, except the biggest one, availability. During his seven years in college, including three seasons at Oregon, three at Texas Tech, and one at Louisville, the talented quarterback managed to play one full season of college football.
While they weren’t anything devastating, Shough really struggled to stay healthy. People aren’t talking enough about the fact that there are legitimate availability question marks surrounding Shough if he does become the quarterback of the future in New Orleans. Can he kick the injury bug? I suppose anything is possible, but his track record says it’s unlikely.
As an organization that is taking a chance on players, and making huge investments into players, there is a lot of risk associated with Shough. Perhaps he becomes a good starter, but with the developmental tag and injury concerns, there’s too much for me to validate giving him a fully guaranteed contract. It’s too much of a gamble. -- Ryan Roberts, A to Z Sports
Either way, the Saints must make a decision sooner than later. Training camp will kickoff in less than a week, and any practice time lost for the rookie will only set him further behind the eight ball when it comes to winning the starting job for Kellen Moore's offense.
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