Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
The stage is now set for New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough to receive a fully guaranteed second-round contract, the first in NFL history for the No. 40 overall pick.
With fully guaranteed deals being given out to picks Nos. 33-35 and 37-39, the quarterback benefits from the precedent now set by the rest of the NFL. Even if he isn’t given a 100% promised deal, it won’t be far off.
Last year’s first non-fully guaranteed deal was still 95.69% guaranteed. So, all-in-all the difference is minuscule at this point.
However, despite all of the hullabaloo around the situation, what will not be promised is the role of starting quarterback. The battle between him and Spencer Rattler is about to enter its boiling point, and no one should be counting out Rattler because of the contract.
Guaranteeing The Contract Doesn’t Guarantee The Job
Shough’s rookie contract is projected to be in the neighborhood of $10.79 in its totality over four years.
The about $2.7 million per year deal isn’t enough to create the illusion of being handcuffed to an option before knowing that option is the right one.
For reference, the Saints once agreed to a fully guaranteed one-year $7.25 million contract with quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to be their backup, while former starter Drew Brees was still under center.
Shough is a talented player. If he wins the starting role, it will be because of that fact. It won’t be about a rookie scale deal. Or at least, that’s the way it should be.
Head coach Kellen Moore may be a first-time head coach, but evaluating quarterbacks isn’t foreign to him. Moore has one with a variety of different passers. Some were established veterans, others were younger and unproven options.
The battle between Shough and Rattler will be all about the performance on the field during training camp and the preseason.
Options Still Open For 2026
It’s likely that, regardless of who wins the starting job Week One, that both quarterbacks will see action in 2025.
Expectations around the Saints are low this year with so much change going on for the team. Should that play out the way that experts expect, the Saints could make a late-season change in order to get a full evaluation of both passers.
Beyond that, should the team find that neither passer feels like a hit after finishing in range to draft another quarterback option in the 2026 draft, that option would very much still be on the table.
The majority of Shough’s deal was going to be locked in anyway, an additional few percent wouldn’t change the team’s future flexibility and investment potential at the position.
