JACKSON: Why Tyler Shough deserves Offensive Rookie of the Year win

By Ross Jackson

During Super Bowl week, the NFL will announce several end-of-year awards including MVP, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year and more. One of the honors many New Orleans Saints fans will be watching closely will be the Offensive Rookie of the Year award. Rookie quarterback Tyler Shough, who reinvigorated the franchise in his five-win effort to close out the season, is up for the recognition.

While Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is the odds-on favorite to receive the award, Shough has a strong claim and would absolutely deserve the honor should he be the one the voters leaned toward when casting their ballots.

Shough was the top rookie winner

Wins become quarterback stats whenever convenient for the NFL, and this could be another example of that. Shough’s five wins lead all rookie quarterbacks this season, surpassing the No. 1 overall selection in Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward (three wins) and first-rounder for the New York Giants Jaxson Dart (four wins).

Even if counting wins as team stats rather than quarterback stats, the Saints’ rookie passer also led rookies in game-winning drives (three) and fourth-quarter comebacks (two). He helped to flip the Saints from a 1-7 team to going 5-4 down the stretch as a starter. 

The clutch gene

Shough’s ability to show up in crunch time is what helped to lead the Saints to their victories as the season wrapped up, leading the team to its third undefeated December in its history.

#Saints rookie QB and OROTY hopeful Tyler Shough had the highest passer rating (103.3) and second-highest completion percentage (66.7%) on third downs among qualifying QBs this year.

Both topping fellow rookies Ward and Dart and MVP candidates like Maye, Allen and Stafford.

— Ross Jackson (@RossJacksonNOLA) January 5, 2026

Shough led qualifying passers with a 103.3 third down passer rating and charted the third-highest all-time third down completion percentage (67.6%) among qualifying rookies.

He also led the league in fourth-quarter passing yards per game as a starter.

When the Saints needed him most, Shough seemingly always found a way to show up.

Breaking NFL trends

In a year where the league saw the fewest 300-yard passing games (68) in the last six years, Shough and head coach Kellen Moore consistently found success downfield, charting big plays. Whether the team had starting wide receivers Chris Olave and Devaughn Vele or relying on elevated practice squad pass-catchers on the field, Shough continuously bucked the NFL trends that saw explosive passing plays trend down in 2025.

Shough’s 32.5 yard average on completions of 20-plus yards ranked No. 5 among all quarterbacks between Weeks 9 and 18 (his weeks as a starter).

By many measures, including the team’s middle-of-field attack and passing in the intermediate area of the field (10-19 yards), Shough impressed and helped to revitalize the Saints’ offense when he took over as a starter. If he were to be awarded the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award, his resume shows that he would be more than deserving of the honor.