The New Orleans Saints’ quarterback competition has lived up to the hype so far.
There currently isn’t a favorite for the starting job and New Orleans has spread around the reps and have rotated, like the team has said it would.
So, who will win the job? There’s a lot of time left, but ESPN’s Dan Graziano shared that there are varying opinions in the front office right now, including a camp that is "big fans" of what Spencer Rattler brings to the table.
"Rattler was the team's fifth-round pick last season," Graziano said. 'He played in seven games (with six starts) last season and completed 57 percent of his passes while throwing four touchdown passes and five picks. (Jake Haener) was the team's fourth-rounder in 2023, didn't play at all that season and made one start a year ago. He has one touchdown pass and one interception in the NFL, where he has completed 18 of his 39 attempts.
"On the surface, the numbers indicate Rattler and Haener should be pretty easy for the 40th pick to beat out. But multiple league executives insist there are people in the Saints' building who are big fans of Rattler and believe he could develop into a good starter if given the chance and the right coaching. And Haener is a guy they liked enough to draft in Round 4 but hasn't had a real chance to show what he can do yet. The important data points are all still to come, as this competition is just beginning."
There's a lot of time left and the starting job won't likely be won until at least after preseason games kick off.
New Orleans Saints Are ‘Big Fans’ of QB Not Named Tyler Shough
For months, it appeared that the New Orleans Saints would run it back with Derek Carr as their starting quarterback in 2025. Yet, once reports of Carr’s shoulder injury surfaced shortly before the 2025 NFL Draft kicked off, the Saints became arguably the most QB-desperate team in the league.
While many thought the Saints would be the team that fell in love with Shedeur Sanders in the first or even second round, New Orleans had other plans. Yet, when the Saints instead selected Tyler Shough with the 40th overall pick in the second round, many believed the Bayou had a new starting quarterback.
While Shough is competing for the Saints’ starting QB job, he’s doing so with two other candidates, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener. Now it sounds like there’s a chance Shough may not win the job after all.
According to ESPN’s NFL expert Dan Graziano, there are several people inside the Saints’ building who are “big fans” of Rattler.
“On the surface, the numbers indicate Rattler and Haener should be pretty easy for the 40th pick to beat out. But multiple league executives insist there are people in the Saints’ building who are big fans of Rattler and believe he could develop into a good starter if given the chance and the right coaching. And Haener is a guy they liked enough to draft in Round 4 but hasn’t had a real chance to show what he can do yet. The important data points are all still to come, as this competition is just beginning.” --ESPN’s Graziano on New Orleans Saints
For the record, Graziano still predicted Shough to win the Saints’ starting QB job, but it’s clear that this won’t be a one-man race. While the Saints invested a fifth-round pick in Rattler in 2024 and a fourth-round pick in Haener in 2023, first-year coach Kellen Moore’s arrival gives everyone a shot at a fresh start.
