Joe Nicholson-Imagn Images
By Ross Jackson
A potential quarterback change is looming for the New Orleans Saints. After an in-game switch from starter Spencer Rattler to rookie Tyler Shough, all eyes are on the team’s decision at signal caller.
Before that choice is finalized, examining the performances of each passer, the team’s history at the position and the future possibilities provides some context around the situation.
1-13 – Rattler is currently 1-13 as a starting quarterback. He finished the 2024 season 0-6 and is now 1-7 this year, his first under head coach Kellen Moore.
6 – The franchise record for rookie passing touchdowns is just six, set by 1971 first-round quarterback and team Hall of Famer Archie Manning. If Shough starts down the stretch, he’ll be in range to set a new high.
8 – Since the retirement of future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints have had eight starting quarterbacks. Should Shough become the starting moving forward, he would be the team’s ninth starting passer since the 2021 season began.
- 2021 – Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian, Taysom Hill and Ian Book
- 2022 – Winston, Andy Dalton
- 2023 – Derek Carr
- 2024 – Carr, Rattler, Jake Haener
- 2025 – Rattler, possibly Shough
17 – Should Shough become the starting quarterback at any point this season, he’ll become the 17th passer to earn his first career start with the Saints in their history. The previous 16 quarterbacks are a combined 7-9 in their inaugural game.
26 – If Rattler’s time as a starter is done, despite his run of six turnovers and six sacks over the last two weeks, he deserves a lot of credit for his improvements. The QB raised his passer rating under pressure by 26 points from 2024 to 2025. Improving under pressure is a challenging task for any quarterback, and it’s one example of the strides Rattler made from year one to year two of his career.
38 – During the preseason, Rattler and Shough were separated by a very thin margin, including just 38 passing yards.
- Rattler finished the team’s three exhibition games with 53 drop backs, 30/43 passing (69.8%), 295 passing yards, one touchdown pass and one interception. He also added 41 rushing yards on seven carries.
- Shough finished the preseason with 61 drop backs and completed 66.7% of his passes (36/54) for 333 passing yards, a touchdown pass and an interception. The rookie also had 23 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in three attempts.
51 – During the Saints’ Week 9 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Rattler and Shough combined for 51 passing attempts. Together, they completed 62.7% of their attempts.
132 – If Shough becomes the starter for the last nine games of the season, he’ll need to average over just 132 passing yards per game to break the franchise record for most rookie passing yards. The current mark, 1,317, was set last year by Rattler.
1971 – Shough is the Saints’ highest drafted quarterback in the NFL Draft (No. 40, overall) since Manning was selected No. 2 overall in 1971. Last year, Rattler became the first
2020 – The last quarterback to win his first start with the Saints was Taysom Hill in 2020. That victory came against the Atlanta Falcons, where Hill led the Saints to a 24-9 win. Hill boasts a 7-2 career record as a starting quarterback for the team.
