The Saints have significant problems with their salary cap and, more importantly, their quarterback room.
Carr retires (photo courtesy Yahoo! Sports)
Yesterday, Derek Carr announced his retirement from the National Football League (NFL). Derek Carr, a quarterback, was under contract for the New Orleans Saints till the 2026 season. With Carr gone, it helps them with their salary cap, which has been a problem for years, but they continue to struggle with a viable number one quarterback since the Drew Brees era. It’s almost certain that they are sticking with the QBs they have now, but out of the three who will lead the Saints into the new season.
While there isn’t much seniority or experience at the NFL level, the player with the most is Jake Haener. Haener was drafted in 2023 the 4th round with the 127th pick by the Saints out of Fresno State. So far, Haener hasn’t proven to be much, even with the limited time he has played. He has played in nine games, thrown for 226 yards on 39 attempts with 18 completions. He has one interception and one touchdown pass in his career. All of his stats come from last year’s games, as in his rookie year, he played in one game just to run the clock out. His play has been extremely weak, and he has not shone in a single game he’s been put into. With all of this in mind, while he has the most years in the league, he doesn’t appear to be the type of player to be a high-level starter or starter at all in the NFL.
Spencer Rattler (photo courtesy NO Saints)
Your next option will be the second-year player Spencer Rattler. Rattler was drafted in the 5th round with the 150th pick out of South Carolina. Rattler turned out to look a little better than Haener so far. In his first season in the NFL, he passed for 1,317 yards and four touchdowns on 228 attempts with 130 completions. That doesn’t look too bad for a 5th-round pick who only played in seven games. It’s the five interceptions, 22 sacks, and the lousy team record. While some of his stats may not entirely be his fault, it again halts him from looking like a steal. It is only his second year in the league, so he might have time to get better, but Rattler joins Haener in the category of not appearing like a type of player to be a high-level starter or starter in the NFL.
Tyler Slough (photo courtesy NOLA.com)
Finally, Tyler Shough is the newest quarterback to the Saints, and surprisingly not the youngest. Shough was selected in the 2nd round with the 40th pick out of Louisville. He spent seven years in college football, which has been forgotten because of the draft controversy. Shough was picked before projected 1st round pick Shedeur Sanders, who fell to the 5th round. Many Saints and football fans believe it was the wrong pick, but it has already been made, and nothing can change that. So, Shough continues to be the next possible option for the Saints. Even though he had a long college career, we will stick to his final year at Louisville. In his final year, he passed for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns on 389 attempts with 244 completions. He also tied for the most interceptions in his college career with six interceptions on the year. While clouded with controversy, Shough seems to be an accurate QB with good football instincts. I believe he may have the talent to be a low-level starter in the league, but he could just as easily fall into the same category as the other two.
All three have very little to no experience in the NFL, not to mention a subpar offensive line, so the Saints are in a terrible position.
If they start Haener, they start a third-year player who has had terrible production even in the best situations.
If they start Rattler, they start a second-year quarterback who has shown some flashes but continues to struggle in big moments.
If they start Shough, they start a 25-year-old rookie, who is riddled with controversy and took 7 years to have a good college season.
I wish I could easily choose one of them to start, but it’s proven to be much more complicated than I thought. If I had to choose one right now, I would pick Rattler or Shough. Either will most likely struggle, but they seem more viable options than Haener.
