The New Orleans Saints have decided on their starting quarterback.
Spencer Rattler will start the team’s season opener against the Arizona Cardinals, coach Kellen Moore announced. Rattler beat out rookie Tyler Shough and Jake Haener to win the job, coming on strong during training camp and putting together three solid preseason performances.
Rattler gives the Saints a slightly more experienced option to start the season. The 2024 fifth-round pick appeared in seven games with six starts for the Saints last season. And though the Saints went winless in those contests, they were valuable opportunities for Rattler — who grew substantially from the reps.
The Saints were in need of a new quarterback this season after Derek Carr unexpectedly retired in May with a shoulder injury. But New Orleans had been aware of the ailment for months before Carr’s decision, and so to plan for the future, the Saints drafted Shough with the 40th overall pick.
Even with the selection, however, the Saints opted to hold a three-man quarterback competition and let the best man win.
That battle got tight as camp went along.
At the beginning, Rattler looked the best of the group as he was decisive, on time and confident with each pass. Moore also praised the quarterback’s mobility, noting Rattler could create off-schedule plays with his legs. Shough, by contrast, initially seemed to be a step slower as he adjusted to the NFL's pace, going through a learning curve typical of a rookie.
But starting around when the Saints departed to spend nine days in California for training camp, Shough turned a corner. He started to get the ball out much faster and was sharper on throws. With Shough’s progression, Moore, too, started to consistently rotate Rattler and Shough with the 1’s in practice — something he avoided for the first part of camp, when he opted to rotate his quarterbacks by the day.
Then, in the preseason, Rattler and Shough both had their moments.
In the team’s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Chargers, which Rattler started, Shough was the more productive signal caller. Though he threw a pick-six, the rookie responded to the costly turnover with an electric 54-yard touchdown to Mason Tipton. His performance earned him the start against the Jacksonville Jaguars the following week.
But against the Jaguars, it was Rattler who showed he wasn’t going to lose the job without a fight. The second-year signal-caller engineered three scoring drives — including an impressive game-tying series that ended with Rattler hitting Dante Pettis for a touchdown and converting a 2-point attempt on a scramble to the end zone.
The third game didn't create much separation between the two, either. Facing the Denver Broncos, Rattler led the Saints' starters to two field goals on his three drives, while Shough led the backups to a field goal and a touchdown.
By the end of the preseason, the stats between the two were nearly even. Shough completed 66.7% (36-54) of his passes for 333 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while also having one rushing touchdown and a fumble. Rattler, by contrast, completed 69.8% (30-43) of his passes for 295 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while also committing a fumble.
In the end, Moore chose Rattler.