After waiting it out, Spencer Rattler was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round and his contract figures were revealed following the 2024 NFL Draft.
As the No. 150 pick, the former South Carolina QB is projected to sign a four-year, $4,356,255 deal, according to Spotrac. He’ll compete for the top backup job behind veteran Derek Carr.
Rattler fell in the draft a bit and was the first quarterback selected in 2024 following the first round. There were rumblings, even if out of left field, as to why he slipped in the process.
NFL insider Ian Rapoport shared during Saturday’s broadcast a surprising reason for that.
“Spencer Rattler did a reality show in high school. It was called QB1 – Beyond the Lights,” he said. “It did not make him look great. And it is unbelievable how many different teams mentioned to me, the image of him in that show and how they can’t get it out of their heads. … It’s fascinating to me as teams way whether or not to draft him.”
Rattler redshirted as a true freshman before taking over as the Sooners starter and leading them to a Big 12 Championship in 2020. He returned as the starter the following season but would struggle to begin the year. That came to a head when he eventually was benched in favor of true freshman Caleb Williams in the Red River Rivalry against Texas and lost the job for the rest of the season.
That led Rattler to transfer to Columbia, where he reunited with former OU assistant turned South Carolina coach Shane Beamer. The QB went on to spend the next two seasons as the Gamecocks’ starter, leading them to an 8-5 finish in 2022, their best record in five years.
Rattler finished his career in Columbia with 6,212 yards passing, 37 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.
As a recruit, Rattler was a five-star prospect and one of the most sought after players in the country coming out of Pinnacle High School in Phoenix. He ranked as the No. 1 quarterback in the 2019 cycle according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.
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