Oregon all-time great at tight end Terrance Ferguson and former Duck Tyler Shough are part of a cluster of second-round NFL draft picks still unsigned as training camps open around the league.
It's a chain reaction set off by Jayden Higgins and Carson Schwesinger, who signed fully-guaranteed contracts in May. Those two were the full two players selected in the second round, which prompted agents representing the succeeding draft picks to insist on holdouts for guaranteed money.
The Rams took Ferguson with the 46th pick. Shough went 40th to New Orleans.According to Front Office Sports, "The second-rounders are vying for fully guaranteed deals, meaning teams will still owe them the entire contract even if they are released for talent, cap space, or injury. These types of deals are rare in the NFL and historically reserved for veterans and first-round draft picks."
Though it makes sense from a business standpoint, it's frustrating for the players involved, since both are competing for a starting spot with their respective teams.
From Littleton, Colorado, Ferguson is Oregon's all-time leader in receptions by a tight end with 134 and receiving touchdowns with 16, second in yards to Ed Dickson with 1,537. He wowed scouts at the NFL combine with a 39-inch vertical leap and a 4.63 40.
Terrance Ferguson 👀
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) June 6, 2025
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Shough started his career at Oregon before transferring to Texas Tech and Louisville. The Saints are looking for a new starting quarterback after Derek Carr retired, so both sides urgently want to complete a deal and see how Shough stacks up against Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener.