Quarterback Spencer Rattler, despite the 0-2 start, has been playing his pants off in his first official season as the starter for the New Orleans Saints. Many have noticed, including San Francisco 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh.
Saleh, who's led some of the best defenses in the NFL in recent years in his time with the 49ers, said heading into the matchup that the Saints' quarterback will be a household name by the end of the season. "This kid's pretty good," he 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."
Rattler said that it's a cool feeling to get praise from someone like Saleh. "It means a lot. You want the respect of your peers, and he's one of the top guys in our league; he was a head coach and is obviously a great defensive coordinator," he told the media. "So to have that respect before the game and after...it's a cool feeling. It makes you want to keep working hard to keep gaining that respect."
Saints' Spencer Rattler is one of the best sophomore QB's so far in 2025
Center Erik McCoy was also singing his QB's praises while saying that he's excited for the possibilities of what Rattler can do. "I think he's played well these first two weeks," McCoy said to the media. "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."
Through two weeks, Spencer Rattler is on pace for nearly 3,600 passing yards and nearly 30 touchdown passes. Rattler, in his first season as the official QB1 of the Saints and with an actual healthy roster, is slowly showing that he might be a steal of a fifth-round pick. So far through the 2025 season, he is among the best of the 2024 QB draft class, outperforming the likes of Caleb Williams and Bo Nix.
Rattler has also yet to throw an interception this season, and when asked why that could be, he gave credit to his QB coach, Scott Tolzien. "He's very detailed all the time. He's like, 'hey, if it's not there, get it down,' because we got guys like AK that if you dump it down at a yard, they'll go and get eight," he said to the media. "So I keep that in the back of my mind and just try to reset my focus each and every play. You're going to have turnovers at some point."