Tag: Spencer Rattler

Opinion: Saints should follow Falcons’ example and cut ties with Derek Carr

The Atlanta Falcons are expected to move on from Kirk Cousins, and the New Orleans Saints should consider following suit with Derek Carr:

The Atlanta Falcons are expected to release quarterback Kirk Cousins sometime between now and March after less than one full season starting on the team. This is because of a string of poor starts for the veteran quarterback, and ultimately a lack of true upside, which could hinder the team long-term if they were to retain his contract.

Many of the reasons the Falcons are moving on from Cousins sound like the same issues the New Orleans Saints are facing with Derek Carr. Large contracts with multiple years remaining that could hinder further team development, both have a .500 winning percentage this season when under center, both have a low upside compared to other options on the team, and both have been barely skating by in performances this season.

While the Saints do not have a first-round pick quarterback from the most recent draft class to turn to, they do have a high upside option in Spencer Rattler, as well as what could end up being a top ten draft pick in the 2025 NFL draft. To be clear, I am not a huge proponent of this quarterback draft class, but there are a few strong options that could develop into above average starters. The Saints have been stuck in their ways of trying to compete with an older roster for awhile now, and extending their veteran talents on enormous contracts. Now, most of those contracts look poor in hindsight outside Alvin Kamara and Demario Davis, and the Saints are still well below .500 on the season.

My belief is the Saints need to use their 2025 offseason to get Derek Carr off the roster, considering there is a potential out in his contract where the Saints would only be dealing with the one season of dead cap hit worth approximately $50 million, and build for the future instead. However, there is the option of making Derek Carr one of their June 1st designations where they would only go $10 million into the red instead of $50 million, which would be a significantly preferrable option. Odds are you are going to be dealing with a dead cap hit from other players anyways, including Ryan Ramczyk who is likely to retire at the current juncture.

Drafting a quarterback in 2025 and having them compete for the starting role with Spencer Rattler would likely be a good way to see what you have, and then build around one or the other for the future as the cap hits of the veterans clear up over time. This isn’t even a matter of “kicking the can down the road” anymore, it’s about finding financial flexibility to add youth to your roster and start finding ways to phase out some of the veterans who may want to leave or retire in the coming two to three seasons. Who knows what road the Saints will actually take, but if they are looking for a new head coach in 2025, giving them the chance to build from nearly scratch seems like a better offer than the current roster provides.

Saints enter a low-risk, high-reward matchup vs. Packers

Expectations are low against the Packers, but some Saints have a lot to gain in Week 16. Spencer Rattler and Darren Rizzi could make waves:

The back half of the New Orleans Saints’ season became an evaluation period from the moment Dennis Allen was fired. The two people under the microscope the most are Darren Rizzi and Spencer Rattler. As the Saints enter a night game at Lambeau Field, this is a low risk, high reward game for both men.

There aren’t any expectations for the Saints to beat the Green Bay Packers. Because of that, the pressure on both Rizzi and Rattler is low.

The expected result alleviates a lot of pressure off Rizzi’s shoulders. You still want to see the Saints show some good traits, but you’re not looking at the final score as critically. If the Saints are able to pull off the upset, this will be a huge feather in the cap of Rizzi as he builds his case to shed the interim tag.

At this point, every game is high reward, low risk for Rattler. It’s unlikely for Rattler to be benched in favor of Jake Haener. All the Rattler needs to show is potential. If he can show enough potential, there is a shot he can be the starter next season for the new head coach.

Rattler’s weapons continue to dwindle. Alvin Kamara is likely out of the equation this week, which creates an opportunity for Kendre Miller to assert himself. Rattler will be attempting to do more with less, and the more he does, the more impressive it’ll be.

In general, we’re probably not judging the quarterback or head coach too harshly on Monday unless things go really bad.

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Darren Rizzi ‘really impressed’ by Spencer Rattler’s final drive vs. Commanders

Saints coach Darren Rizzi was “really impressed” with how well Spencer Rattler handled the two-minute drive to close out Week 15’s game with the Commanders:

When Spencer Rattler stepped in for Jake Haener against the Washington Commanders, he led four consecutive scoring drives. Darren Rizzi’s explanation for inserting Rattler into the game was the New Orleans Saints needed a spark. Mission accomplished.

One of the more impressive things about Rattler’s game is how he performed in crunch time. Rattler returns to the starting lineup until Derek Carr is healthy enough to play, if that happens in 2024. The rookie will need to take some of the positives from end of Week 15 and carry them throughout the game.

Rizzi walked away from the final drive of the game impressed by some of the intangibles the rookie quarterback displayed.

Rizzi highlighted some of the impressive parts of Rattler’s final drive, including “the way he operated that that final drive, the way we managed the drive, managed the clock, understood the situation,” as well as that, “We got the ball clocked there to allow us to have one final play in regulation.”

What impressed Rizzi the most was Rattler handled the situation with great poise despite being in just his fourth professional game.

We’ve seen one rookie this year not handle a late fourth quarter drive with such calmness and efficiency. This is a good starting point and shows Rattler can handle himself when the pressure is on.

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Rookie Spencer Rattler reinstalled as the Saints starting quarterback

Rattler replaced an ineffective Jake Haener in place of Derek Carr in Week 15 and earned the start against Green Bay on Monday night

Spencer Rattler is once again the starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints. The team is turning to the fifth-round rookie for Week 16 in place of Jake Haener after Rattler outplayed Haener in the Saints’ Week 15 loss to the Commanders.

Rattler will be under center when the Saints kick off in Green Bay against the Packers on Monday night. The game is expected to be played in the snow, which could present a challenge for the Arizona native, who played collegiately at Oklahoma and South Carolina.

Interim head coach Darren Rizzi noted that Derek Carr remains the starter if he’s able to return from a broken hand.

Rattler started three games earlier in the season with a mixed bag of results, throwing just one touchdown against two INTs (all coming in the Week loss to the Buccaneers) and struggling to move the ball down the field. The start in Green Bay won’t be easy, but it’s an opportunity to gauge Rattler’s improvement in decision-making and ability to impact a defense.

Saints are making another change at QB, starting Spencer Rattler in Week 16

The Saints are making another change at quarterback this week with Derek Carr likely out, turning to rookie Spencer Rattler

The New Orleans Saints have announced their starting quarterback for Week 16, turning to rookie Spencer Rattler instead of Jake Haener, who got the Week 15 start. The Saints are unsure of the status of Derek Carr for this and the rest of the season, and it seems that he will need more time to recover – something that’s expected given the nature of the injury.

Rattler came in for the second half of the Saints’ Week 15 game against the Washington Commanders and managed to drag the Saints back into that matchup with a strong performance.

However, despite the Saints ultimately falling short of the win, he seemed to give New Orleans a better chance of winning than Haener did.

This will be Rattler’s fourth start of the season. He also started three games that Carr missed earlier in the season, so we will see how he has improved compared to his first few games.

Coach Darren Rizzi did later clarify that Rattler will only start if Carr cannot. Rattler took first-team reps in practice on Thursday so he seems likely to get the call.

Packers to face Saints rookie QB Spencer Rattler on MNF

The Saints named rookie Spencer Rattler as the starter at QB for Monday Night Football against the Packers.

The Green Bay Packers will face a rookie quarterback at Lambeau Field on “Monday Night Football.” The New Orleans Saints named Spencer Rattler — a fifth-round pick out of South Carolina — as the starting quarterback in Week 16 on Thursday.

Rattler, who previously started three games this season, came off the bench and nearly led the Saints to a comeback win over the Washington Commanders last Sunday. He’ll make his fourth NFL start on Monday night against the Packers.

“He’s a natural thrower. He can move in the pocket. He’s fearless. I think he’s a really talented young player,” coach Matt LaFleur said Thursday.

The Saints are 0-3 in Rattler’s three starts this season. He has completed 57.5 percent of his passes, averaged 5.9 yards per attempt and thrown two touchdown passes and two interceptions — good for a passer rating of 73.1. The rookie has run nine times for 61 yards and three first downs.

Rattler led the Saints on three scoring drives, including a touchdown as time expired, as New Orleans rallied from deficits of 17-0 and 20-7. The Saints were unable to convert on a two-point attempt with no time remaining and lost, 20-19. Rattler completed 10 of 21 passes for 135 yards, one touchdown and zero interceptions against the Commanders.

Rattler, who went to high school in Arizona and played college ball at Oklahoma and South Carolina, will get cold and potentially snow in Green Bay on Monday.

Why the move now? Some insight from Saints Wire managing editor John Sigler:

“Starting Spencer Rattler is a no-brainer after he led a valiant comeback effort last week on spot duty. He looks to have made some strides reacting to pressure and keeping the ball out of danger after a rough couple of starts early this season. The Saints’ season isn’t over, but it is at a point where it’s worth seeing if he can cut the mustard before a new coaching staff takes over in the spring.”

Rattler replaced Jake Haener at quarterback last week. Starting quarterback starter Derek Carr is dealing with a left hand injury and could miss the rest of the season.

Saints haven’t started the same quarterback vs. Packers in their last 4 meetings

Spencer Rattler will be the fourth New Orleans Saints quarterback to start against the Green Bay Packers in as many games:

The New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers are about to play each other for the fourth time in the last five years, and the Saints have never started the same quarterback in any of those matchups. This is indicative of life after Drew Brees.

Ironically, the Packers have been a picture of consistency at quarterback. They went from Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love. The Saints haven’t been nearly as fortunate post-Brees. While the Packers have found their quarterback of the future, New Orleans has struggled to find the quarterback of the present.

Brees started against the Packers in 2020. Since then, Jameis Winston, Derek Carr and soon to be Spencer Rattler have started against Green Bay.

Winston started in the 2021 season opener against Green Bay and relieved an injured Carr in 2023. He’s the only quarterback to play twice in this stretch, but he didn’t start both games.

Since Brees’ retirement, New Orleans has started eight quarterbacks: Winston, Trevor Siemian, Taysom Hill, Ian Book, Andy Dalton, Carr, Rattler and Jake Haener.

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The moment the Saints decided to change quarterbacks may surprise you

Spencer Rattler started the third quarter on Sunday, but knew the Saints made the decision before halftime. This moment could be remembered for a long time:

The New Orleans Saints changed from Jake Haener to Spencer Rattler in the second half against the Washington Commanders, but the decision was made before halftime.

After the game, Rattler revealed quarterback coach Andrew Janocko informed him of the decision with about 30 seconds left in the second quarter. That would be shortly after the Saints’ last possession of the half

Darren Rizzi and Klint Kubiak didn’t need to deliberate during the intermission. While it wasn’t lengthy discussion, it also wasn’t impulsive either. The lethargic offense required a spark, and they felt that spark was a change at quarterback.

It was a gambol from Rizzi, one that certainly paid off. Rattler provided a spark that kept Matthew Hayball off the field for the final 30 minutes. It’s a decision we could be talking about for a long time.

That moment could have changed the trajectory of not only this season, but also the trajectory of Rattler’s season. If you really want to take a wide view of the situation, this could be a pivotal moment in Rattler’s career. That may sound dramatic, but a lot of it depends on how Rattler takes advantage of the moment.

The Saints taking a chance on a young quarterback as your Week 1 starter next year shouldn’t be out of the question. That role could be Rattler’s if he closes the season strong.

It takes a lot to get to that hypothetical, but there’s so much uncertainty in New Orleans it’s hard to consider a quarterback other than Derek Carr starting next season as a stretch. Why not Rattler?

Saints must find out who Spencer Rattler is before 2024 ends

Opinion: The Saints must stick with Spencer Rattler through the rest of the season, unless there is injury, to get a full evaluation of the rookie

Spencer Rattler should be given the opportunity to audition to be the New Orleans Saints quarterback in 2025 over the next three weeks.

A report came out Tuesday morning saying Derek Carr returning to the lineup was unlikely. With the Saints all but out of the playoff race, Carr playing in 2024 provided more risk than reward. Even if he could go, it is smart to hold him out.

This gives you a chance to evaluate Rattler for the future. This means letting him play the entirety of the season unless injury happens. Darren Rizzi switched from Haener to Rattler after just a half of football.

The Saints may be too far back in the draft to get one of the top quarterbacks this season. The future head coach may decide to see what they have in the young quarterback through next season.

Is he the quarterback who held the ball too long in his first few starts and didn’t handle pressure well? Is he the player who stepped up and delivered a bomb to Marquez Valdes-Scantling while being hit? Rattler looked like a different player than we saw in his first stint.

The only way to get that true evaluation is to see the good bad and ugly of Rattler. No more hot potato. Stick with Rattler to close the season.

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Report: Derek Carr ‘very unlikely’ to return from hand injury this season

Report: Derek Carr is ‘very unlikely’ to return from hand injury in time to play again this season

Derek Carr didn’t receive good news on his fractured hand in a recent checkup. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports the New Orleans Saints quarterback is “at least a few weeks away from being able to withstand contact” after breaking his non-throwing hand in two places.

With just three weeks left in the Saints’ 2024 season, there’s a strong possibility that Carr won’t be able to get the green light to return in time to play again this year. After traveling to face the Green Bay Packers (Dec. 23) next week, the Saints will return home for a matchup with Carr’s old Las Vegas Raiders (Dec. 29) team before closing out their season on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Jan. 5).

That sentiment was echoed by NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, who added that while “there was no surgery, it’s not a minor injury.” Carr’s ability to grip a football and execute his responsibilities from one snap to the next is in question, and it’s too risky to put him on the field until he’s healed up.

So expect rookie backup Spencer Rattler to start next Monday night against the Packers. Rattler outplayed Jake Haener (who got the initial start) on Sunday and should get the nod this week.

As for Carr; we may have already seen him throw a pass in a Saints uniform for the last time. His 2025 salary cap hit doesn’t match his production and the Saints have a few options worth exploring if their next head coach doesn’t intend to build around him. We’ll just have to wait and see how things develop in the weeks and months ahead.

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