By Ross Jackson
At long last, the mini-holdout between the New Orleans Saints and rookie quarterback Tyler Shough is over. The Saints and Shough agreed to the league’s seventh fully guaranteed second-round contract in its history for the No. 40 overall pick.
As usual, New Orleans found a way to get creative with the deal.
Shough becomes the first non-first round selection to receive a roster bonus structure to his rookie deal, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
New Orleans Saints and QB Tyler Shough reached agreement today on a fully-guaranteed $10.795 contract, per @ErikBurkhardt of @RocNationSports.
At pick No. 40, Shough is the last player selected in the 2025 draft to secure a fully-guaranteed deal.
The contract also includes…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 19, 2025
Typically, a roster bonus is a guaranteed amount of money that is contingent upon the player being on the roster at a designated time. Those details haven’t yet been made public, but when they are available, it’s sure to start a trend around the league.
In some circumstances bonuses kick in during the same year. For instance, if a player is on the roster at a date ahead of 2026’s training camp, then their bonus for 2026 kicks in. Other times, teams work ahead. That would mean guaranteeing a 2027 bonus on a trigger date in 2026.
Which route the Saints go with this remains to be seen, but it’s yet another example of the New Orleans front office adding some spice to their agreements. This will be an interesting one to watch unfold.
The immediate impact is simple. Shough is signed and will be ready to get going when Wednesday’s training camp begins. That’s an important piece for New Orleans as Shough, second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler and third-year passer Jake Haener are now all available right away to compete for the starting role.
