By Ross Jackson
As the New Orleans Saints locker room was being cleared out Monday afternoon following the last game of the year, several Saints players took time to close out the season talking to the media in attendance.
While some of the conversations were centered around reviewing the year, much time was spent focused on the team’s exciting future.
One player, star wide receiver Chris Olave, had every reason to focus on himself. He had missed the final game of these after being hospitalized with a blood clot in his lung and was coming off a career year in which he set career highs in targets, receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
He did indeed address those things, but made a specific point to talk up his quarterbacks as well. Not just the one that he believes should win Offensive Rookie of the Year, Tyler Shough, but also the team’s first starting quarterback of the year, Spencer Rattler.
Moments after campaigning for Tyler Shough to win Rookie of the Year, #Saints WR Chris Olave wrapped up his press conference with a message about backup QB Spencer Rattler:
“He deserves another opportunity to be a starting quarterback in this league … People pointed the finger… https://t.co/hXDewpwZJT pic.twitter.com/jmyuaz9n3G
— NOF (@nofnetwork) January 5, 2026
“Spencer’s a great quarterback,” Olave said. “I don’t believe he’s a backup quarterback in this league. In this world nowadays, people always want to point the finger at somebody when something’s 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 a starting quarterback in this league.”
A classy moment from a developing leader inside the locker room, Olave praised both Rattler and Shough for a job well done in 2025. Even highlighting that Shough and head coach Kellen Moore are among the reasons he wants to stay in New Orleans.
With numerous teams likely to be in the quarterback market like the Minnesota Vikings, Las Vegas Raiders, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals and others, that opportunity for Rattler could show itself in a hurry. However, if it doesn’t, the Saints will be more than happy to have him, a former starter in their system, continue in their quarterback room.
Rattler handled the quarterback battle and eventual change to Shough with a clear display of professionalism and support, but those don’t have to be the finishing touches of his NFL story. If Olave has his way, it won’t be.
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