NFL news: Saints name Spencer Rattler Week 1 starting quarterback

The New Orleans Saints have named a starting quarterback.

Head coach Kellen Moore announced Tuesday that second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler beat out rookie Tyler Shough for the starting job. The Saints were the last NFL team to name a starting quarterback.

Rattler, 24, will lead the Saints when they take on the Arizona Cardinals in Week 1.

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Rattler impressed in the preseason, completing 30 of 43 passes for 295 yards with one touchdown and one interception across three games. He was also a threat in the running game, rushing for 41 yards on seven carries and adding a two-point conversion.

The former South Carolina star appeared in seven games, starting six of them, last season. The Saints went 0-6 in Rattler’s starts.

Rattler completed 57% of his passes for 1,317 yards with four touchdowns and five interceptions while also rushing for 146 yards on 18 carries.

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) celebrates his two-point conversion against the Jacksonville Jaguars with wide receiver Dante Pettis (17) in the second half of an NFL preseason football game on Sunday, Aug. 17, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana.  (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

The Saints selected Shough with their second-round pick (No. 40 overall) out of Louisville in April. He became the team’s highest-drafted quarterback since Archie Manning was taken No. 2 overall in 1971.

Shough, 25, completed 36 of 54 passes for 333 yards with one touchdown and one interception in three preseason games. He also ran for a touchdown on three carries for 23 yards.

Shough played seven years of college football. He spent his first three seasons at Oregon before transferring to Texas Tech for three years. He finished his career at Louisville, where he completed 62.7% of his passes for 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions.

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New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough, left, passes the ball under pressure from Denver Broncos linebacker Jordan Turner in the second half of an NFL preseason football game Saturday, Aug. 23, 2025, in New Orleans, Louisiana.  (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Shough dealt with numerous injuries throughout his career, playing more than eight games in a season only once — last year at Louisville.

The Saints went 5-12 last season, and Moore hopes Rattler can lead them back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.

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