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Oct 26, 2025; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Tyler Shough (6) warms up before a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

Saints' QB Decision Impacts More Than Just 2025 Season

Originally posted on New Orleans Saints on SI
By Patrick McAvoy | Last updated Oct 27, 2025 1:30 PM ET

The New Orleans Saints opened the door for a change on Sunday.

New Orleans faced off against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and dropped to 1-7 on the season. In the process, the Saints benched Spencer Rattler in favor of 2025 second-round rookie Tyler Shough. As of writing, the Saints haven't announced who will start in Week 9. Saints head coach Kellen Moore noted the team will use the next few days to evaluate and make a decision.

For the Saints, there will be a long-term impact no matter which direction New Orleans decides to go because with the season spiraling out of control, New Orleans will likely have a high draft pick in the 2026 NFL Draft and needs to figure out if either of the quarterbacks on the roster are the answer, or if the team needs to draft another one. These next nine games will be critical to those types of decisions after the season.

Let's take a look at the debate from both sides:

The Saints don't have an easy decision on their hands

Sticking with Spencer Rattler
Rattler is just 25 years old and has taken a clear step forward this year after appearing in seven total games last year, including six starts. Rattler took care of the ball better for much of the season, although turnovers have doomed him over the last two weeks. He had four turnovers last week against the Chicago Bears and another two on Sunday before he was benched. Rattler has shown progress, but now that he's been benched for Shough once, that discussion is never going to die down from here on out if Rattler keeps the starting job.

It was a topic all summer after Shough was drafted. The two duked it out for the starting job and Rattler won it. But, the buzz has been growing over the last few weeks about Shough with the Saints' bad record and turnover issues. That genie isn't going back in the bottle now. Keeping Rattler in the starting job wouldn't be the worst thing, but this discussion is only going to pick up even more. Shough seems imminent. If Rattler keeps starting, unfortunately, the whole conversation will just be about how long until the rookie is in. With Rattler remaining in the job, it would hinder the evaluation process for the team beyond this season.

Rolling with Tyler Shough
At 1-7, the Saints have an inside track to a high draft pick. In fact, if the season were to end today, the Saints would have the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Now, the season obviously doesn't end today, though. If the Saints are going to be picking high, they need to know if they need to select a quarterback. Therefore, they need to see if Shough could be the guy, or if they need to start over in the 2026 NFL Draft.

If the Saints make the switch to Shough, they would be able to have 9 full games to evaluate -- barring an injury -- which could be a big enough sample size to see if he's the answer beyond this season. New Orleans used its highest draft pick to select a quarterback since Archie Manning to pick Shough. His time is coming at some point and it may be now. This decision doesn't just impact the next few weeks, but could be the difference between drafting a quarterback or not in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

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

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