The Saints quarterback needs your vote to take home the award!
Tyler Shough is a popular selection for Offensive Rookie of the Year at this year's NFL honors, but the Saints quarterback has been named as a finalist for NFL Rookie of the Year. Fans can vote at nfl.com/rookies through the end of the voting period on Friday, Jan. 30, with the winner will be selected during Super Bowl Week.
The other five finalists are New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, New England Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson, Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty, Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, and Cleveland Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger.
Shough completed his rookie season recording the highest completion percentage among all rookies (67.6, 221 of 337), had the second-most passing yards (2,384) and second-highest passer rating (91.3) among rookies this season. Shough broke the Saints franchise record for most passing yards, passing touchdowns (10) and completion percentage by a rookie. In Week 17, Shough became the second rookie ever with a completion percentage of 80-or-higher (81.5), at least 300 passing yards and a passer rating of 140-or-higher (142.7) in a single game, joining Bo Nix (Nov. 17, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2025, with Denver).
Thomas Valentine of Pro Football Focus named Shough as the reason for optimism for New Orleans in 2026.
"The rookie quarterback looked confident in the pocket, flashed his arm talent and even added 186 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns, doing all of that in less-than-stellar surroundings. The Saints’ 65.0 PFF pass-blocking grade was 19th in the NFL, and their 68.8 PFF run grade was 31st. Shough was leaned on to move the ball, and the Saints were 17th in EPA per pass play from Week 9 onward. The second-round rookie didn’t just look good; he helped the team win games, as the Saints won four of their last five games, ending the season with a 6-11 record and pushing the team out of quarterback range in the first round of the draft. Shough has done more than enough to show he could be the Saints’ long-term starter — or at the very least, he’s earned the opportunity to show that in 2026."
"A big part of Shough’s success was his connection with WR Chris Olave (78.0 grade; 22nd), who caught 100 passes for 1,163 yards and nine touchdowns, setting career-highs across the board. Shough connected with Olave nine times on passes over 20 yards from Week 8 onwards, the second-most in the league, and no one caught more touchdowns on 20-plus-yard passes than Olave in that span (five)."