Saints QB Battle Heats Up; Spencer Rattler Shines In Preseason

The New Orleans Saints have quite the quarterback battle on their hands right now. Following Derek Carr's sudden retirement in the offseason, the Saints were left with Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler, and rookie Tyler Shough in the quarterback room.

ESPN's Katherine Terrell recently praised Rattler despite the Saints decision to start Shough in Week 1 and Week 2 of the preseason.

"If the Saints go with Rattler at QB1, it will be because he stacked more consistent days together and showed he brings experience with him," Terrell wrote. "Rattler had a difficult situation last season while filling in for an injured Derek Carr. He was a rookie and played like it, getting benched for Haener after taking seven sacks in a 26-8 loss to the Chargers last season.

"Carr returned for five games but was injured again later that season, and interim coach Darren Rizzi elected to go with Haener instead of Rattler against the Washington Commanders, but quickly reversed course after one half. Due to Carr's unexpected retirement this offseason, the Saints will be putting a lot on the shoulders of a young quarterback."

Rattler backed up Terrell's belief in him by putting together a very impressive performance in relief of Shough during the Week 2 preseason game with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Spencer Rattler turns heads in preseason Week 2

Aug 17, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) scores a two point conversion to tie the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth quarter at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Rattler played a large chunk of the game after Shough went 9 for 12 on passes for 66 yards. Rattler, on the other hand, was 18 for 24 in the air for nearly 200 yards in less than a full game. He looked sharp and accurate for the most part, despite throwing an interception that could have cost the Saints the game.

Rattler would go on to lead the game tying touchdown drive, connecting for a 20-yard touchdown with 21 seconds left on the clock. The young quarterback rushed in the two-point converstion on a scramble drill to tie the game and send the Saints home with a tie.

For a while, it looked like the Saints were leaning toward Shough to be the starter, but Rattler's performance in Week 2 of the preseason may have closed the gap. The young head coach, Kellen Moore, certainly has his hands full with this decision.

Week 3 of the preseason will likely hold a lot of weight in this quarterback battle. The Saints have a big decision to make following that final preseason game.

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