Tyler Shough had an excellent 2025 season, despite not starting until week 9. He turned the New Orleans Saints around and went 5-4 while under center. Shough should be the Offensive Rookie of the Year, but the national media may not recognize his impact and snub him from the award.
Shough completed 67.6% of his passes and threw for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions. He also added another three touchdowns rushing. On the surface, these stats don’t seem too impressive, but other factors like his surrounding talent and situation should be considered.
This is a major reason the hype behind Shough isn’t greater and why he may not win Offensive Rookie of the Year. People around New Orleans know Shough’s impact and how deserving he is, but the national media doesn’t. He was given the honor of the Rookie of the Month for December, but the average fan will still look at his stats and assume he’s been average.
Tyler Shough turned around the Saints with a lackluster supporting class
Analysts don’t realize how much Shough carried the Saints offense late in the season. Chris Olave was spectacular, but they were severely lacking outside of him. This was evident in the Saints week 18 loss as Juwan Johnson, Dante Pettis, and Audric Estime were their leading receivers. Despite this, Shough still made this team competitive and won over 50% of their games.
Fanduel gives the Saints the third highest odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year at +2,200. Carolina Panthers receiver Tetairoa McMillan leads the charge at -2,000 and Dart follows him at +950. Both of these players had fabulous seasons, but none had a greater impact then Shough did with the Saints.
One thing McMillan has on his side is the Panthers won the division and had big wins over playoff teams like the Rams and Packers. It's not like he was a small part of the equation either. The rookie wide receiver was the team's leading receiver by over 600 yards. Having a big role on a playoff team may slant the national media towards McMillan over Shough
Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough may not win Offensive Rookie of the Year, but that would be a mistake on the voters' part. His impact on the Saints is undeniable as he turned around a struggling team with a lackluster supporting class. The national media might not know how important he is, but Saints fans certainly do.