This past season, Tyler Shough balled out for the New Orleans Saints, setting multiple franchise records. For that reason and more, he should be the OROTY for the 2025 season.
Shough didn't win the starting job in training camp. However, when the eighth week of the season rolled around, his opportunity came knocking. From there, he never really looked back, completing 221 passes (franchise record) for 2,384 passing yards (franchise record) and 10 passing touchdowns (franchise record).
Those numbers are not the highest among rookie quarterbacks (Thank Cam Ward for that one), but that's not really what the award is about. The award should be given to the rookie quarterback who made the biggest impact on their team, and Shough is the clear winner in that regard. In his 10 games as a starter, he took a team that was bottom of the league at 1-7 to a level that was just shy of the playoffs.
Tyler Shough would be the first Saints QB to win OROTY
If Tyler Shough wins OROTY, he'd be setting yet another franchise milestone. With a win, Shough would be the first quarterback in franchise history to ever win the award. At that point, it would be very safe to say that Shough is the QB of the future in New Orleans, or at the very least, the best one the team has had since the great Drew Brees retired.
Shough wouldn't be the only Saints player with the award. Should he receive the award tomorrow, he will be joining a very exclusive club, becoming only the fourth Saints player to win the award. The only other Saints to receive the honor have been running backs George Rogers (1981), Rueben Mayes (1986), and Alvin Kamara (2017).
Only one Saints player has ever won DROTY. That honor goes to cornerback Marshon Lattimore, who won the award alongside Kamara in 2017.