The Saints are making a change under center, installing rookie Tyler Shough as the new starter and benching Spencer Rattler, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Rattler won a training camp battle for the Saints’ starting quarterback gig, but the team is 1-7 in his eight starts. Statistically, Rattler himself has not been horrible relative to some of the league’s other starters, but New Orleans ranks 29th in points scored and 27th in total yardage this year.
Shough, 26, was a second-round pick (No. 46 overall) in April’s draft who was widely seen as the Saints’ successor to Derek Carr. His age and draft profile as an NFL-ready quarterback raised expectations that he would start right away in New Orleans, but new head coach Kellen Moore made it clear in the spring that there would be a true competition in the preseason.
In the interim, however, Shough leveraged his draft status, the Saints’ quarterback situation, and new league contract precedent into a fully-guaranteed rookie deal, making it clear that he would get a shot at the starting job sooner than later. Rattler was expected to have a long leash at the beginning of the season, but it only extended out to eight starts.
Rattler was benched for Shough in Week 8, and though the rookie did not dazzle in his first extended regular-season action, he did enough to earn Moore’s confidence moving forward. Expectations will still be low for the rest of the season, as the rest of the Saints offensive line has struggled this season and won’t make Shough’s first start a walk in the park. Neither will a ferocious Rams defense that ranks second in the league with 26 sacks. But any progress Shough can make this year will give New Orleans a better idea if they’ve found a long-term starter or should focus on the 2026 draft class.
Deciding whether or not Will Levis 2.0 is capable of being an NFL QB or if they are using the possible number one pick to draft the future in the spring.
Seven years of college have prepared him for this moment.
Shough was pick 40, not 46.
factoring in New Orleans’ guaranteed his deal, it will go down as one of the worst choices in recent draft history.
$15 million for a scratch off? Honestly not seeing a problem with it, it is couch cushion change in the modern NFL, especially for a potential franchise QB.
Whether it is pick one or pick 261 (or whatever the last pick is), they are all scratch offs in the end.
EDIT: Only $11 million.
Go Shough Yourself: The Quarterback Story
Streaming on Netflix probably 2026
Featuring Adam Sandler as the waterboy in an Oscar worth performance 🙂
And also Mark Wahlberg for some reason
Can’t possibly be worse than Kenny Pickett.
That they let Rattler start as many games as he did tells you Shough has not impressed the coaching staff.
Rattler has largely been pretty good this season, which makes the Shough pick look even more questionable, but they need to take a look at the 26-year old they just spent a second round pick on before they go into the offseason.