NFL fans had a lot to say after fans voted Tyler Shough as the 2025 Pepsi Zero Sugar Rookie of the Year. The New Orleans Saints quarterback didn’t arrive with many expectations, and initially was Spencer Rattler’s backup.
The NFL announced Shough as the Rookie of the Year hours before the 2026 NFL Honors.
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The announcement sparked plenty of reactions from fans, with many criticizing the decision. Some mentioned New York Giants’ Jaxson Dart as the rightful winner.
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“Dart was robbed,” one fan said.
“He barley even played lol,” another fan said.
“@JaxsonDart is the actual player that deserved to win,” another fan said.
Others clarified that it wasn’t the actual Rookie of the Year award (Shough is a finalist for the Offensive ROY award this season), but said that Shough also deserved that one.
“The amount of people who think this is the actual OROY award in the comments is baffling and amusing,” one fan said.
“Man all the mad people in these comments,” another fan said.
“NOW GIVE HIM THE REAL ONE LIKE WE ALL KNOW HE DESERVES,” another fan said.
Tyler Shough played 11 games in 2025, going 221 of 327 for 2,384 yards and 10 touchdowns with six interceptions. He beat Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart, Patriots running back TreVeyon Henderson, Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty, Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan and Browns linebacker Carson Schwesinger for the award.
Tyler Shough compared to Drew Brees by veteran teammate
Tyler Shough has brought something different to the New Orleans Saints. After Drew Brees retired, the Saints didn’t have stability at the quarterback position, either due to injuries or bad play. Demario Davis praised Shough while comparing him to Brees.
“I think there’s a lot to be optimistic about. I think number one, you have a solidified QB1,” Davis said in January. “And I think that there’s been a lot of quarterback changes over the last few years. I got a chance to see a lot of them since [Drew Brees] walked out of the building and that’s probably the most excited everyone inside the organization and outside the organization’s been about a quarterback.”
Derek Carr, Andy Dalton, Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian, Jake Haener and Ian Book all played for the Saints since Brees called it a career.
Edited by Orlando Silva
