Take a quick survey of those in NFL circles and you likely won’t find anyone who is too surprised by the fact that the New Orleans Saints are winless after their first two games of the season. However, one thing that could be considered reasonably unexpected would be that thus far, Spencer Rattler hasn’t looked like the liability that many expected he would once he emerged as the winner of New Orleans’ offseason quarterback competition.
Any preseason optimism in Spencer Rattler would’ve likely been rooted in what you heard coming out of New Orleans throughout the summer, or blind optimism that first-year head coach Kellen Moore would have the ability to get the most out of the second-year QB. During Rattler’s rookie season, he didn’t put much on tape that inspired confidence. There’s a reason, after all, that he needed to be out rookie Tyler Shough and Jake Haener for the job in the first place.
But now through the first two games of the 2025 season, the correct characterization of Rattler would, at worst, be that he’s been serviceable for New Orleans in this year of transition. But two key figures in Saints history might even be compelled to take the praise up a level.
“Spencer is a really dynamic player. Stature wise, he’s a lot like me from the perspective of you’re not the tallest guy, but you’re athletic, you can move,” Drew Brees said during a recent appearance on WWL-AM (h/t Luke Johnson of NOLA.com). “He’s got some moxie, he plays with some swagger, kind of a chip on his shoulder. The guys seem to like him and play hard around him. He can make all the throws, he can make plays with his legs, he’s not afraid to take off and run and lower his head to go get the first down.”
Whether you agree with Drew Brees’ assessment or not, what’s indisputable is that Rattler has improved from the 2024 season to now. Whether that’s due to a new offensive staff in the picture making life easier for him or if it’s just the natural progression of a young player, well that remains to be seen. But just looking at the per-game numbers from 2024 compared to 2025, it’s abundantly clear Rattler has elevated his game.
2024 Season – 188.1 passing yards per game, 57% completion, 34.8% success rate, 18.2% bad throw rate, 70.4 passer rating, 20.9 rushing yards per game
2025 Season – 210.5 passing yards per game, 65% completion, 44.0% success rate, 12.0% bad throw rate, 90.7 passer rating, 21.5 rushing yards per game
Spencer Rattler Has Earned Support Cam Jordan, Saints Teammates
This Sunday, defensive end Cam Jordan will be playing his 229th career game in a New Orleans Saints uniform, breaking Drew Brees’ franchise record. And he’ll be doing so alongside a young quarterback who doesn’t give the Saints a Super Bowl ceiling as Brees so often did in his career.
Before the season began, Jordan was vocal about wanting a veteran presence in the quarterback room — even throwing Jameis Winston’s name out there at one point — but now after two games, it sounds as if the veteran defensive end has come around on his 24-year-old teammate.
“The way Spencer came alive to extend the drive, to pop out of a full blown tackle to get a first down, it’s like, great,” Cam Jordan said of Rattler’s Week 2 performance during a recent interview with Heavy Sports. “Some of the throws he made early on in the game, it’s like, man!”
Center Erik McCoy joined in on the Rattler praise parade earlier this week as well, saying, “I think he’s played well these first two weeks. He’s gotten us in the right position a lot of times and has made some great reads. Hopefully that’s something that can excel throughout the year, and we get even better play from him.”
Even opponents have taken note of an improved Spencer Rattler. Before Sunday’s game when Rattler nearly led the Saints to an upset win, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had this to say about Rattler:
“He’s gonna be a household [name] by the end of the year. This kid’s pretty good,” Saleh told the media last week. “He’s a twitchy athlete who has got one hell of an arm. He’s very decisive in his decision-making as he goes through his progressions, and he’s accurate with the football.”
The question now is, are the Saints as high on Spencer Rattler as everyone else seems to be?