It's officially a new era of New Orleans Saints football.
Veteran Derek Carr announced his retirement on Saturday, calling for the Saints to open a quarterback competition with their three young quarterbacks to earn the starting spot in 2025.
Head Coach Kellen Moore said the team will undergo a quarterback competition, saying "We’re going to let all three of these guys roll."
New Orleans has drafted a quarterback three years in a row, with their most recent being 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough. The Saints drafted Spencer Rattler in 2024 and Jake Haener in 2023.
Rattler started seven games for New Orleans in 2024 and despite showing positive development, went 0-7 as a starter. Haener also had a chance to start versus the Washington Commanders during the season but was swiftly benched in the second half for Rattler.
Tyler Shough is the favorite for the starting spot in 2025, but Spencer Rattler won't make the competition easy.
Due to injuries to other starters, Rattler spent most of his starts with depth pieces around him. Now with half a season of starting experience, a full offseason under his belt, and healthy stars around him, the second-year quarterback could take the starting job.
Despite Rattler's experience over the other two candidates, Shough was head coach Kellen Moore's pick at quarterback and is the favorite for the job. Moore has experience with multiple star quarterbacks during his time as a coordinator and decided to draft the former Louisville quarterback with the highest pick the Saints have made on a signal-caller since 1971.
At 6-foot-5, Shough has the size and athleticism to be a starter in the NFL. While there is plenty of room for improvement for the 25-year-old quarterback, he will be 26 during his rookie year and needs to see the field as soon as possible.
With Shough being Moore's choice, it will be a longer road for the other signal-callers to earn the starting spot, but New Orleans is naming this an open quarterback competition. Whether it is Shough, Rattler, or even Haener, the Saints must make the right choice for their starting quarterback of the future.
