Sep 7, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Spencer Rattler (2) scrambles out the pocket against the Arizona Cardinals during the second half at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

49ers Coach Thinks Saints Have Star In Spencer Rattler

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Sep 18, 2025 11:00 AM ET

The New Orleans Saints had a long summer full of chatter about who would be the team’s starting quarterback Week 1.

Spencer Rattler won the job and it looks like the team made the right choice. Despite an 0-2 record, Rattler has passed the eye test and Pro Football Focus actually has him graded as the No. 9 overall quarterback in football so far. Beyond this, San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh had glowing words for him before the Week 2 matchup against the Saints.

The Saints quarterback got some high praise

"This quarterback, I’m telling you, he’s going to be household by the end of the year,” Saleh said. “This kid’s pretty good. He’s a twitchy athlete. He’s got a hell of an arm, very decisive in his decision-making as he goes through his progression and he’s accurate with the football.”

Through two games, he has gone 52-of-80 passing (65.0 percent) for 421 passing yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions. He's averaging 210.5 passing yards per game.

Throughout the summer, Rattler was the most consistent of the quarterbacks on the Saints' roster. That's what won him the starting job. All of the buzz was about Tyler Shough, and rightfully so. He was selected in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft so it's not shocking there was a lot of noise about him. But, the 24-year-old Rattler did enough to prove to the team that he's the guy and it sounds like he has fans around the league as well.

It's early and the Saints have lost both of the games they have played. That's the negative side. But, Rattler has shown that he can be a capable quarterback at the NFL level in this small sample. If he continues to play the way he has over the last two weeks while also continuing to get more comfortable as the team's starter, the wins will come. Maybe even as soon as this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks.

At the very least, Saints fans should be excited about the perception around Rattler right now around the league.

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This article first appeared on New Orleans Saints on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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