With Derek Carr having announced his retirement from the NFL after 11 years, the New Orleans Saints’ starting quarterback job is officially up for grabs. Since the start of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Saints have managed to select at least one quarterback in each of their draft classes.
Advertisement
As a result, Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler, and Tyler Shough now fill the depth chart. Given that each of the three signal callers is still about as green as they could possibly be, their newfound head coach, Kellen Moore, is suggesting that each of them will receive a fair opportunity at claiming the honor of being his QB1.
In light of Moore taking a carousel-like approach to his depth chart, the hosts of the Nightcap podcast, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson and Shannon Sharpe, couldn’t help but fear for the worst in New Orleans. After reading a report that stated the Saints’ newest passer, Shough, is able to produce “solid performances when kept clean,” Sharpe promptly noted that,
“All quarterbacks are good when you keep them clean. My house is immaculate when it’s clean. Duh!”
Saints HC Kellen Moore said they will rotate all their quarterbacks, give them all opportunities, as one tries to seize the starting job. “We’re going to let all three of these guys roll,” Moore said. Each will be given the chance to win the Saints’ starting job. pic.twitter.com/eSW3H49JcU
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) May 10, 2025
In response to his co-host mentioning that Shough had the second-worst QB accuracy against power five opponents of anyone in his class, the former Cincinnati Bengal couldn’t help but question the team’s decision-making in this year’s draft. Seeing as Shough wasn’t necessarily considered to be a “value pick” by the Saints at the 40th overall spot, Johnson suggested that the team’s poor offensive line play could result in further problems, regardless of who is taking snaps under center.
“That’s why I question the draft again. You take those same numbers that you just talked about, and I’m not going to say his name, but you know who I’m talking about, and you look at what he had to deal with because his offensive line play wasn’t that good, but for some reason, he was highly accurate still. That’s funny how that works, but that’s neither here nor there.”
The trio of Haener, Rattler, and Shough may not be one that jumps off the page, but it is filled with potential. Pockets of the Saints’ fanbase have already begun to advocate for one over the other, however, almost no one seems to be interested in Haener.
It’s also worth noting that, given the uninspiring level of the aforementioned prospects, the Saints are rumored to have an interest in Aaron Rodgers. Then again, given the team’s perpetual salary cap situation, signing another expensive, free-agent quarterback doesn’t seem to be in the cards for them at this point in time.
At this point in time, fans will probably find it easier to predict the next Powerball numbers rather than the team’s next starter.
While they are unlikely to end up with as big of a mess as the Cleveland Browns appear to have by rostering five total signal callers, the search for the Saints’ next leader will surely extend past 2025. Until someone is able to separate themself from the crowd and establish some rapport with Moore, the trombones and beads will have to stay in the closet.
Simply put, it’s going to be a while before the Saints can go marching in again.
