Saints Make Waves With Jordyn Tyson’s Hefty Contract Deal

The New Orleans Saints recently selected wide receiver Jordyn Tyson with the 8th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Tyson is a big body receiver out of Arizona State, and was the first receiver taken during the 2026 draft. He steps directly into a major role with the Saints offense...giving quarterback Tyler Shough another new weapon.

The addition of Tyson instantly forces opposing defenses to account for multiple deep threats on the field. He is projected to operate as a direct complement to Chris Olave...which will immediately open up intermediate routes by stretching the defensive secondary vertically.

After making Tyson their first round pick, the Saints have decided to lock him in with a striking contract.

Saints Sign First Round Draft Pick To Rookie Contract

The New Orleans Saints agreed to a 4-year, $32.5 million contract. It will come with a $20.1 million signing bonus, and a 5th year option. But none of that is the part that has caught the attention of fans.

This 4-year deal between the Saints and their top draft pick is fully guaranteed. All $32.5 million is coming to Tyson no matter what. That's $20.1 million signing bonus? Coming to him in full.

Where This Saints Contract Could Go Wrong

While this is a great moment for Tyson and the Saints, there is the potential for this to go sideways in a couple of years. Its something we've seen happen a few times over the last few years.

This scenario doesn't involve all rookies, just high-performing young players. Where after early success in their career, they end up threatening to holdout in the later years of their rookie contracts.

Go back to 2010 when Darrelle Revis held out on the New York Jets during training camp and the preseason while he still had a year on his rookie deal. In 2018, there was a slightly different version of the same thing. Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell had played through his rookie contract, and was hit with a franchise tag after that. The team was planning to get him with another tag, but he met that with a holdout.

Teams like the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and the Buffalo Bills have all had to deal with this type of scenario over the last few years.

If Tyson has a couple of amazing years in New Orleans, there's a chance he comes back to the team and says he needs a new deal...while he still has time left on this contract. Tyson can argue against the math when he does it too.

While we don't know what his per-year pay will currently be, we can look at what the average value will be. If the total contract is $32.5 million, and he gets $20.1 million up front with the signing bonus, that leaves $12.4 million for the total salary over 4 years...or $3.1 million per year. If Tyson is a Pro Bowl level wide receiver, he's going to want to make more than $3 million per year.