Spencer Rattler to compete for Saints starting QB job
Former South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler will get the opportunity to compete for the New Orleans Saints’ starting quarterback role following the retirement of Derek Carr on Saturday.
Rattler, who was drafted in the fifth round last April, will compete with Jake Haener, with whom he shared backup duties last season, and Tyler Shough, whom the team selected in the second round last month.
New Orleans fired head coach Dennis Allen last November and then hired former Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore, so there’s a different staff in charge but Moore said Rattler and all the QBs will compete for the job.
“We’re going to let all three of these guys roll, and they’ve all earned these opportunities,” Moore said Saturday. “We’ll let Jake, Spencer and Tyler, all three, go through this process. Again, we’ll play patience, let these guys compete, let them get into training camp and naturally these [competitions will] take care of itself.”
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As a rookie last season, Rattler played in seven games, completing 130 of 228 passes for four touchdowns and five interceptions behind a makeshift offensive line.
Rattler posted a congratulatory thank you message on social media to Carr, who helped mentor him during Rattler’s first season in the NFL.
Carr is retiring after tests revealed a labral tear and “significant degenerative changes to his rotator cuff.” While surgery was an option, it would have put his 2025 season in jeopardy, and there were no guarantees he’d ever return to full strength.
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He instead opted to retire.
Rattler will have to fend off Shough, a one-time Gamecocks recruiting target himself, and the No. 40 overall pick in the draft.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported on SportsCenter that the Saints are “really high” on Shough, according to Bleacher Report.
“Assuming things go well in the next three or four months, there’s really no reason why he can’t see the field in 2025 because of the pedigree and the experience he already comes in with,” Fowler said. “I’d call him the early favorite.”
Rattler transferred to South Carolina from Oklahoma for his final two college seasons. He finished his career in Columbia with 6,212 yards passing, 37 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
As a recruit, Rattler was a five-star prospect and one of the most sought after players in the country coming out of Pinnacle High School in Phoenix. He ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2019 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
