Jets rookie in danger of holdout as leaguewide contract standoff escalates

The Jets might have a holdout.

Justin Fried

New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor / Thomas Salus-Imagn Images

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.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported Saturday that Los Angeles Chargers rookie wide receiver Tre Harris is now an official training camp holdout, becoming the first second-round pick to take a public stand amidst the leaguewide dispute.

That leaves Jets rookie tight end Mason Taylor in a precarious spot just one week before the team’s rookies are set to report to training camp on July 19.

Taylor remains unsigned and is one of 30 second-round picks still without a contract, all due to the same issue. It's an issue that stems from New Orleans Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough — and, in part, the Houston Texans.

For now, 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 a genuine risk.

Jets rookie Mason Taylor could be in danger of holding out

So what gives? At the center of the issue is guaranteed money, specifically, how much of the third and fourth years are locked in. After the Texans and Browns handed out fully guaranteed deals to picks 33 and 34, agents for other second-rounders have pushed for similar structures.

That includes Taylor, who was drafted 42nd overall. This isn't a Jets-exclusive issue. If this situation doesn't get resolved within the next few days, the NFL is about to see a mass holdout consisting of essentially the entire second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

The biggest holdup remains the aforementioned 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 round to a crawl. As long as his deal remains unresolved, players like Taylor will be caught in the ripple effect.

Now, with Harris officially holding out in Los Angeles, the fear of this impacting NFL training camps has become a reality. If the situation lingers much longer, Taylor could become the latest rookie to make a tough business decision — even if both sides would prefer to avoid it.

We took a much deeper dive into the Mason Taylor contract situation and the second-round stalemate in an article a couple of weeks ago. Click here to read the full breakdown and learn more about this increasingly frustrating debacle.

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Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.