League-wide holdout might have lasting effects for highly touted Jets rookie

The NFL’s second-round contract standoff is reaching a boiling point, and the New York Jets are officially at risk of being caught in the middle.

At the center of the issue is guaranteed money, specifically, how much of the third and fourth years are locked in. After the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns handed out fully guaranteed deals to picks 33 (Carson Schwesinger) and 34 (Jayden Higgins), agents for other second-rounders have pushed for similar structures. That includes tight end Mason Taylor, who was drafted 42nd overall by the New York Jets.

If this situation doesn't get resolved within the next few days, the NFL could see a mass holdout consisting of essentially the entire second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

The biggest holdup remains New Orleans Saints’ Quarterback Tyler Shough, taken just two picks before Taylor. His camp is reportedly pushing for a fully guaranteed contract, based on the premise that he expects to be his team's starting quarterback this season. The Shough situation has slowed the entire thing to a crawl and has massive ripple effects throughout the league and the second-round players.

On Saturday the Los Angeles Chargers were the first team to begin training camp and rookie wide receiver Tre Harris was an official training camp holdout, becoming the first second-round pick to take a public stand amidst the leaguewide dispute.

Meanwhile, Taylor, one of the jewels of this draft class according to most pundits, remains unsigned and is just a week away from having to make a decision of his own regarding his contract and his availability for Jets training camp which begins on July 19.

Taylor continues to participate in offseason activities and hasn’t indicated plans to hold out, but with the clock ticking and one holdout already emerging, there is certainly a risk.

The Jets have high hopes for Taylor and view him as an immediate starter at one of the most difficult positions to learn in the NFL as it half offensive lineman, and half wide receiver.

Taylor is going into training camp as the favorite to start in new offensive coordinator, Tanner Engstrand’s offense, but he won’t simply be handed the job. Jeremy Ruckert, who played with Justin Fields at Ohio State, has long waited for his chance to start for the team he grew up cheering for and with Tyler Conklin now with the Los Angeles Chargers, Ruckert has an opportunity.

The fact that Taylor might have to be part of something bigger than himself in trying to get more for players selected in the second round, might end up costing him a chance to take the starting job from Ruckert at least early on.