Welcome to the NFL, Tyler Shough.
Fresh off being selected with the 40th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Shough has been operating without a contract from the New Orleans Saints.
Like many other second-round picks, the former Louisville quarterback is now finally putting the pen to the paper with just days left before training camp opens.
Shough agreed to a four-year, $10.79 million fully guaranteed deal on Saturday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
It was important to get the deal done ahead of camp, especially with Shough entering as the favorite to win the starting quarterback job. Following Derek Carr’s surprise retirement, New Orleans’ quarterback room is wide open and Shough couldn’t afford to miss valuable training camp reps to begin his career.
He’ll now enter into a battle with Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener, hoping to win the trust of new head coach Kellen Moore.
New Orleans is set to begin camp on July 22, when both rookies and veterans are slated to report to the Ochsner Sports Performance Center in Metairie, Louisiana.
Here’s what to know about Shough’s deal with the Saints.
Tyler Shough contract details
Shough inked a fully guaranteed four-year, $10.79 million deal with the Saints, per ESPN, which comes with an average annual value (AAV) of around $2.68 million.
The quarterback is the lowest draft pick in the 2025 NFL Draft class to receive a fully guaranteed deal, something that second-round picks hadn’t received before this offseason.
After the Cleveland Browns and Houston Texans fully guaranteed the contracts for the 33rd and 34th picks, it created a snowball effect for the rest of the players selected in the round. Before 2025, no second-round pick had ever received a contract with that all-important detail.
According to ESPN, that’s not the only detail that Shough received in the agreement.
The contract comes with an annual roster bonus structure, where Shough will receive the majority of his compensation each year during the first week of training camp. He is the only non-first-round pick to have that language in his contract.
Now that the ink has dried, the 25-year-old rookie quarterback can turn his attention to the field and winning the starting job.
All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY’s 4th and Monday newsletter.
