New Orleans Saints second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler won the starting job over Tyler Shough entering the 2025 season. The former fifth-round pick has been decent, showing flashes at times, but struggling to win games, going 1-13 in 14 starts. Rattler has completed 68% of his passes for 1,586 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions, averaging 6.2 yards per attempt, 198.3 yards per game, with an 86.8 passer rating and a 50.8 QBR, resulting in a 1-7 record.
Unfortunately, he was unable to finish last week’s game.
New Orleans Saints bench starting QB in Week 8
The Saints benched Spencer Rattler late in the third quarter in favor of Tyler Shough against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the offense committed three turnovers, with Rattler completing 15 of 21 passes for 136 yards and one interception. Shough had a rough outing, completing 17 of 30 passes for 128 yards and one interception. With the season nearing the halfway mark, the Saints currently hold the No. 1 pick in the upcoming draft, and somebody needs to step up under center and prove they can be the team’s quarterback of the future, or the front office may have no choice but to draft one.
New Orleans Saints reveal the starting quarterback for Week 9
According to Ian Rapoport, the Saints announced that Tyler Shough will start moving forward, with Spencer Rattler heading to the bench. The second-round pick now has a chance to prove his worth and audition as the team’s quarterback of the future. Shough has just nine games to convince the front office not to use their first-round pick of the 2026 NFL Draft on a quarterback.
Sources: The future is now in New Orleans, with the #Saints making rookie QB Tyler Shough their starter.
Spencer Rattler now heads to the bench, while the second-rounder moves to the forefront in a decision coach Kellen Moore informed them of today. pic.twitter.com/yO2MJ86vJ6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 28, 2025
Here’s a quick review of his college career
Tyler Shough committed to the Oregon Ducks as a four-star recruit for the 2018 season. He redshirted in 2018 and served as Justin Herbert’s backup in 2019 before starting in 2020. Shough threw for 1,559 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions, finishing with a 4-3 record before transferring to the Texas Tech Red Raiders in 2021.
Tyler Shough battled injuries throughout his three-year tenure at Texas Tech, missing 24 games. He missed the final nine games in 2021 with a broken left collarbone, then reinjured the same collarbone in 2022, sidelining him for six games. Shough then missed the last nine games in 2023 with a fractured left fibula before transferring to the Louisville Cardinals in 2024.
Tyler Shough had a breakout 2024 campaign at Louisville, which helped him become the 40th pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He threw for a career-high 3,195 yards, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions, finishing with an 8-4 record. Shough had an impressive Senior Bowl performance, wowing scouts with his consistency and physical traits at 6-foot-5 and 218 pounds, and his age of 25 didn’t deter them.
