Spencer Rattler spent the offseason as one of the NFL's more obvious trade candidates. A former starter who got benched mid-season, sitting behind a guy who just locked down the QB1 job going forward -- that's the profile of a player who gets moved before final cuts, not one who sticks around to hold a clipboard. Other teams clearly agreed.
The Saints received trade interest in QB Spencer Rattler but plan to keep him, per sources. Rattler will serve as quality depth behind Tyler Shough, barring a change.
According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, the Saints fielded real trade interest in Rattler but have decided to keep him as "quality depth" behind Tyler Shough -- barring a change of heart before the roster gets trimmed down. It's a notable vote of confidence for a guy who spent most of last year getting second-guessed.
The backstory here matters. Rattler was New Orleans' starter to open the 2025 season, but Shough -- a second-round pick -- took over in November and went 5-4 down the stretch, completing 67.6% of his throws for 2,384 yards and 10 touchdowns while adding 3 more scores on the ground. That finish was strong enough that the Saints have already committed to Shough as their starting quarterback for 2026, with head coach Kellen Moore saying the team feels "great" moving forward with him.
That's exactly what made Rattler's situation interesting. Once a team hands the keys to someone else for good, the guy who lost the job usually becomes trade fodder -- teams thin at quarterback love scooping up a former starter with starting experience, and the Saints could've recouped a mid-round pick for a player who's now RB2 on the depth chart in that room. Instead, New Orleans is choosing to bank the insurance.
Report: Saints will keep Spencer Rattler despite trade interest. t.co/WkZCzPl5Sg
It's a low-key but sensible call. Quarterback depth is the single hardest thing to replace in-season, and Shough is still a QB with only one full year of starts under his belt -- hardly a finished product. Keeping a guy who already knows the offense and has actual starting snaps on tape beats hoping a waiver-wire arm can hold the fort if Shough gets hurt.
Nothing here is locked in stone -- Fowler's report explicitly says the plan holds "barring a change," and roster cutdowns always shake teams' decisions loose at the last minute. But as of now, the Saints are content to let Rattler sit, stay ready, and be the answer if Shough's first full season as QB1 hits a speed bump.