Raiders Report Sparks Early Saints-Spencer Rattler Trade Speculation

The New Orleans Saints have a piece on the roster right now who very well could end up being a valuable trade chip this offseason if the team decides to go in that direction.

With Tyler Shough firmly planted as the team's starting quarterback, that leaves Spencer Rattler as a guy without a pathway to playing time with the franchise, barring an injury. Rattler moved into the backup role in the second half of the 2025 season. He said all of the right things and showed improvement in the first half of the season, despite getting benched. In eight starts, Rattler had 1,586 passing yards, eight touchdowns, five interceptions and 167 rushing yards. Rattler showed improvement in protecting the ball for the most part. That was a big question for him and he had just one interception in his first six starts, but then threw four in his final two.

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Rattler is just 25 years old and there are teams around the league that certainly could use a signal-caller like him. Saints Wire's John Sigler pitched arguably a near-perfect solution and floated Rattler for the Las Vegas Raiders after news broke that former Saints offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is expected to take over as the Raiders' head coach.

The Saints should consider all options

Nov 23, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) warms up prior to a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images | Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

"Everyone seems to agree (or at least Tyler Shough and Chris Olave say so) that Rattler deserves the opportunity to start again in the NFL, and while that may not be in the cards with the Raiders expected to draft Fernando Mendoza first overall, the Raiders could still be a fit," Sigler wrote. "Geno Smith is on the outs. His backup Kenny Pickett is a free agent. If Kubiak wants to get someone in the building who knows his system, Rattler would be a natural fit.

"You just have to question whether Las Vegas would be willing to put a compelling offer on the table. The Saints control Rattler's contract for the next two years, so they don't have to trade him. They really should only do so if they get an offer that's stronger than what they spent to get him in the first place (a fifth-round pick at No. 150 overall)."

The second the offseason really gets moving, this is the exact type of move the Saints should try to make happen. The Raiders have the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and all of the noise out there has pointed to the team likely selecting Fernando Mendoza. Things didn't work out with Geno Smith in 2025.

If Kubiak wants to bring in someone he has some familiarity with, Rattler is someone who fits that description. Plus, he just went through this in 2025. Rattler started the first eight games of the season and then moved to the bench for Shough and it worked out in New Orleans. If Las Vegas opts for a similar strategy, Rattler would be an interesting pickup.

For the Saints, they should consider all options. If they could get draft compensation in return they could use it to help the roster elsewhere and then go hand out a cheap deal to a veteran to sit behind Shough. It would be a win-win.

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