New Orleans Saints Finalize Quarterback Lineup Amid Trade Interest

The New Orleans Saints have decided to maintain their current quarterback lineup as they finalize their roster to 53 players by the upcoming deadline. Tyler Shough, now in his second year, will take on the role of the starting quarterback. He will be supported by backups Spencer Rattler and Zach Wilson.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Saints intend to keep Spencer Rattler on the initial 53-man roster. Despite receiving trade interest for the third-year quarterback, the team plans to retain him as the primary backup to Shough.

“The Saints received trade interest in QB Spencer Rattler but plan to keep him,” Fowler posted on social media platform X. “Rattler will serve as quality depth behind Tyler Shough, barring a change.”

Rattler, 25, was selected in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Saints. Over the past two seasons, he has appeared in 16 games and started 14 of them. During this time, he has amassed 2,903 passing yards, with 12 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Rattler enjoys strong support from his teammates. In January, Saints wide receiver Chris Olave expressed his belief that Rattler deserves another shot as a starting quarterback in the NFL. Olave stated, “Spencer’s a great quarterback — I don’t believe he’s a backup quarterback in this league.” He added, “Everybody wants to point the finger if something is going wrong. I feel like Spencer’s done a great job when he was back there starting at quarterback. He deserves another opportunity to be able to be a starting quarterback in this league.”

Unless there is a significant change in plans, it is unlikely that Rattler will get an opportunity to start for another team this season. Despite being named the starter before the 2025 season, Rattler was succeeded by Shough on October 28. Last season, Shough had a record of 5-4 as a starter, completing 67.6 percent of his passes for 2,384 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six interceptions.