Spencer Rattler was the guy.
Then all of a sudden, he wasn’t.
Now he’s the guy again — maybe temporarily, maybe for the long haul — after earning one of the 32 most coveted jobs in all of professional sports.
Rattler, drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round in 2024, edged out second-round draft pick Tyler Shough in a photo finish to earn the starting quarterback job.
It's the most high-profile gig in New Orleans, a city that’s been starving for the next franchise quarterback ever since Drew Brees walked out the door following the 2020 season.
Jameis Winston and Derek Carr have taken their turns as Week 1 starters since No. 9 retired.
Now it’s Rattler’s turn.
Focused on the moment
Since being named the starter Aug. 26, Rattler hasn’t really had a chance to reflect on where his football journey has taken him.
But one day, he will get to look back on all the highs and lows that got him to this point. For now, though?
“I’m so focused right now on the moment that we are in,” Rattler said. “I’m in the present. You think of all the stuff I went through in the past, yeah, it’s great to get through adversity to get to this point. But now what are you going to do?”
That’s the million-dollar question. Now what is Rattler going to do? The answer will help define this 2025 season. In a quarterback-driven league, the Saints will only go as far as Rattler takes them. He gets to start answering that question in Sunday’s season opener against the Arizona Cardinals.
All eyes in Caesars Superdome will be on Rattler as he becomes just the fourth Saints draft pick to start a season opener, joining Archie Manning, Bobby Scott and Dave Wilson. None of those previous three won much, and the expectations (at least to those outside of the building on Airline Drive) are the same for Rattler.
The oddsmakers in Vegas have the over/under for Saints’ wins this season at 4½. A lot of those low expectations are because of a young, inexperienced quarterback room led by a soon-to-be 25-year old who went winless in his six starts last season. But those six starts deserve an asterisk, considering the bad hand Rattler was dealt. If last season was a game of Uno, Rattler played with very few Draw Fours and Wild Cards. Center Erik McCoy, the heart and soul of the offensive line, missed five of Rattler's starts. Rattler only threw two passes to Chris Olave, whose season ended early due to a concussion. And he only played one game with Rashid Shaheed. Alvin Kamara missed Rattler's last three games. But Kamara likes what he saw in the ones they did play together.
"For the lack of experience that he does have, he just makes up for it with his demeanor," Kamara said. "He's very confident. He's a hard worker. He has kind of like a vet-like presence, like he's been here before, like he's done it. Now, he's got to do it obviously. And I think we'll be able to get out there and be able to help him out, make it easy for him because that's what we're here for. You know, make his job easy for him. I think he'll be able to go out there and have some fun, let it loose."
A fresh start
It's understandable why Rattler says this season feels like his real NFL debut. The Saints' offense is much healthier this time around in what is a fresh start.
New head coach. New offensive coordinator. And even new gold jerseys that the team will break out for Sunday's opener. But none of it will matter if Rattler can't lead the Saints into those freshly painted gold end zones. He threw four touchdowns and five interceptions during a rookie season that included a social media movement called #TheAgenda, a push by avid Rattler fans who wanted to see him play. Much of that buzz has died down now. But the guy wearing both the No. 2 jersey and the chip on his shoulder is eager to prove his fans that they were right.
“Yeah, you could say I have a chip on my shoulder,” Rattler said. “Our whole team has a chip, which is awesome. A lot of people are sleeping on us, and that’s fine. We want to just do what we can do and control what we can and go out there and prove it.”
Rattler has had to prove himself for a few years now. He made it all look so easy early on, becoming a legend in his hometown of Phoenix as one of the top recruits in the country by his senior year of high school.
Mike Giovando, who became Rattler’s quarterback when he was 10 or 11 years old, isn’t surprised at his pupil’s success.
“He already had the moxie back then,” Giovando said. “I told him in seventh or eighth grade that I thought he could be an NFL quarterback, and he spoke it into existence for sure."
A path set straight
Prior to his senior year of high school, Rattler was named MVP of The Elite 11, a quarterback competition with some of the best QBs in the country. He was so good that Netflix followed him around and featured him in a documentary called “QB1: Beyond the Lights.” His brashness in the documentary rubbed some people the wrong way; for example, an episode when he predicted “two Heismans" for himself.
At Pinnacle High School, he set the Arizona passing yards record on his 18th birthday. That’s also around the time he got his first tattoo on his left chest. It’s a bible verse (Proverbs 3:5-6) that he ended up having to lean on for some of the tough times ahead.
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Don’t lean on your own understanding. Acknowledge him and he’ll set your path straight.”
"That’s how I live," Rattler said. "I understand that it’s already written and just go out there and do your best and trust in Him."
At the time Rattler got tatted, his path couldn’t have seemed straighter. He was a five-star recruit signed with the University of Oklahoma, a quarterback factory that had just produced back-to-back Heisman Trophy winners in Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. His bold "two Heisman" prediction didn’t seem too far fetched by the time he took over as Oklahoma’s quarterback as the successor to Jalen Hurts. He led the Sooners to the Big 12 Cionference title, then entered the following season as the Heisman front-runner and the projected No. 1 overall pick.
A path made crooked
But everything changed the following season, when Rattler was benched for Caleb Williams, who eventually transferred to Southern Cal, won his own Heisman and went on to be the Chicago Bears' No. 1 draft pick.
Saints rookie linebacker Danny Stutsman was a freshman at Oklahoma that year and has seen Rattler’s evolution from that 2021 season.
“It’s night and day,” Stutsman said. “Spencer’s development as a man and as a player has been huge. He faced a lot of adversity at Oklahoma. There were games when he was literally getting booed by his home crowd. That can really just kill your confidence. But his mindset really changed when he transferred to South Carolina. He really grew. He’s always had the talent. But that mindset has completely changed. You can see it now in how he is a leader in this locker room."
Shane Beamer was an assistant at Oklahoma who became South Carolina’s head coach and lured Rattler there.
“I saw him during those times of adversity and how he handled it,” Beamer said. "He came here (to South Carolina) and just worked hard and became a leader. He was voted a captain. He didn’t force his leadership style on anyone. It was just being a good person and treating people the right way and working really hard and being consistent.”
An unexpected opportunity
That consistency eventually helped Rattler beat out Shough for the job. Now that he's won it, he'll try to keep it. Moore said Rattler won't have to be looking over his shoulder as Shough uses this time to watch and learn. Four months ago, this season looked like it would be another one for Rattler to do the same. But that all changed May 10 when Carr unexpectedly retired.
“I was happy for Derek, because I knew he put in a lot of time,” Rattler said. “I’ve always had a lot of respect for him. He took a lot of blame that he probably shouldn’t have. I’ve got love for him. I knew that was my opportunity to compete, and I was just excited for the opportunity.”
So Rattler went to work, putting in non-stop work in the 110 degree weather in Arizona with Giovando. As much as he focused on footwork and throwing mechanics, there is another aspect of his game that he says will be key this season.
“The biggest thing is mental toughness and faith, and you let the rest take care of itself,” Rattler said. “I feel like I’ve always been pretty cool, calm and collected. There are times to be fiery. There are times to be cool and calm. Being a QB, you have to bounce back and play with confidence and show no fear.”
The next chapter
Dowell Loggains has a Rattler jersey hanging in his office at Appalachian State University, where he's in his first year as head coach. He was quarterbacks coach at South Carolina when Rattler played there. Before that, Loggains spent 13 seasons in the NFL as an offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. So he knows a thing or two what it takes to be successful in the NFL.
“Spencer's instincts and ability to process things quickly is NFL caliber,” Loggains said. “He’s equipped to do the job he’s been called to do. He has the elite ability to focus on the job he needs to do and not worry about the things you can’t control. We live in a world where every one is going to criticize the franchise quarterback. Spencer has been groomed to handle that burden.”
Rattler knows it comes with the territory. The Saints’ fanbase was divided all summer long. Half wanted Rattler to be named the starter. The other half preferred Shough.
“You’re going to see that in every competition around the league,” Rattler said. “You can’t listen to the outside noise.”
Rattler is blocking that out and focusing on the guys in the Saints’ locker room. They believe in him.
“We one thousand percent believe in him,” said tight end Juwan Johnson. “We believed in him last year. We didn’t see it in the win column. But we knew we had something special with this guy. He knows it.”
Shaheed calls Rattler “a born leader.”
Despite that description, Rattler wasn’t voted one of the team’s captains. He’s one of the few quarterbacks in the league who isn’t his team’s captain. But he knows you don’t have to be a captain to actually lead.
“Obviously I don’t have as much experience as a lot of these guys that are starters,” Rattler said. “But I can build on that each week. I’m confident on what I can do, and I think we have a lot of great pieces where I don’t have to be Superman. And I think that’s what's great about it. Let the system work for you and you let your guys work for you.”
There was a time when Rattler was indeed Superman. He was supposed to be the next big thing. He still believes he can be. That starts Sunday when he faces the Cardinals, the team based in the same city Rattler’s journey began. Being a Week 1 starter in the NFL is something he’s dreamed about since he was kid. Now, it’s a reality.
”I’m just trying to attack it and make the most out of it,” Rattler said. “And make my story even better.”