The Saints are moving forward with Tyler Shough, but what about Spencer Rattler?
After a long training camp battle, Kellen Moore announced Spencer Rattler would the Saints starting quarterback after New Orleans drafted Tyler Shough in the second round from Louisville. The decision wasn't met with much pushback given the patience being shown with Shough and Rattler having a bit more NFL experience.
Obviously, we know how the season played out. Rattler was eventually benched for Shough, and today the rookie quarterback was named NFC rookie of the month. Yesterday, it was reported the Saints will roll with Shough as the starter in 2025, making it very clear the team will not explore looking for a quarterback in the draft.
Moore expressed his excitement for a full offseason with Shough.
"We feel great with Tyler," Moore said. "Tyler's done an awesome job through this entire process. He's gotten a ton better. Taken advantage of a bunch of opportunities. We're excited to have a full offseason to build."
What about Rattler? Chris Olave endorsed Shough publicly, but expressed his admiration for Rattler and believes he isn't a backup quarterback in the NFL.
"I want to say one more thing about Spencer," Olave said. "Spencer is a great quarterback. I don't believe that he's a backup quarterback in this league. In this world nowadays, people want to point the finger at somebody when something is going wrong. I feel like Spencer's done a great job when he was back there starting at quarterback and he deserves another opportunity to be a starting quarterback. I don't feel like there are 32 quarterbacks that are better than him. So, in a way, he handled himself like, I feel like I will always be a Spencer fan. So, he never talked down on nobody...Just the way he handled himself, I will always be a fan of his. I wish the best on him in the future."
It would be wise for the Saints to explore Rattler's potential market since a backup quarterback can be found pretty easily in the NFL. Doing right by Rattler and sending him to a place with a chance to compete for a starting position while recouping draft capital is just good business.
Teams like Arizona, Miami, the Jets, Pittsburgh, and even Minnesota should be in the market for quarterbacks. Multiple quarterbacks, in fact, as the teams evaluate new coaching staffs, can hold an open competition.
Mickey Loomis should be answering the phones and even making some calls.