The New Orleans Saints have named rookie Spencer Rattler as the starting quarterback for Week 6, replacing injured starter Derek Carr. Carr sustained an oblique injury in Week 5 and will likely miss multiple weeks.

“We just internally talked a lot about it and felt like in this particular game he was going to give us the best chance to win,” Saint head coach Dennis Allen said of Rattler on Wednesday. “He’s a rookie so we’re going to have some challenges that go along with that but I think we’ll have a good plan for him.”

Losing Carr, who led New Orleans to a hot start, could be brutal for a team some suspected to be a playoff contender in 2024. The team’s first game without him will be against the Buccaneers, their bitter NFC South rivals entering Week 6 with a 3-2 record.

Unlike many teams who drafted a rookie quarterback in the 2024 draft, the Saints did not take Rattler with any intention of starting him this year. The 24-year-old took an extremely tumultuous path to reach the NFL. Named the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy as Oklahoma’s starter in 2021, he was benched halfway through the season and replaced by Caleb Williams. 

After the 2021 season, Rattler transferred to South Carolina and spent his last two seasons of eligibility there, finding moderate success on underperforming teams. In 2024, the Bears took Williams with the first-overall pick. Rattler went in the fifth round.

Regardless of whether the Saints simplify schemes or force Rattler into Carr’s system, the Saints offense as a whole will likely take a step back. Running back Alvin Kamara could still be productive due to his receiving ability out of the backfield, but wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed may struggle to build rapport with their new quarterback on short notice.

If Rattler proves ineffective, the Saints could very easily move on to the second-year backup Jake Haener, who filled in for Carr after he exited in Week 5. Like Carr, Haener went to Fresno State. New Orleans selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 draft.

New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Haener has been suspended by the NFL for six games after failing a drug test earlier this summer. Taysom Hill was named the third-string quarterback earlier this week, putting Haener fourth behind Derek Carr, Jameis Winston and Hill.

Following the NFL’s suspension ruling, which claimed that Haener had an undisclosed banned substance in his body when he was tested during the preseason, the quarterback released a statement apologizing for the incident.

“I recently learned that I tested positive for a substance banned by the NFL earlier this summer,” the statement read. “I still do not know how the substance got into my body, as none of my supplements or prescribed medications contain the banned ingredient. I would never knowingly cheat the game that I love, however I must take full responsibility for the failed test. I apologize to the Saints organization, my friends and my family for any distraction this suspension may cause. I am disappointed to be away from the team for the coming weeks, but I will learn and grow from this experience. I look forward to returning to the team as soon as possible.”

Though it was unlikely that Haener was going to play in the first six games of the season anyway, the suspension could put his position on the team in jeopardy. New Orleans selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Fresno State, where he played his final three seasons of college football. In 2021, he threw for 4,096 yards and 33 touchdowns for the Bulldogs. He previously played at the University of Washington but only appeared in three games for the Huskies in 2018.

If the Saints need to make space on their roster, it’s a distinct possibility that Haener could be released or sent to the practice squad. If that does not occur, however, he will serve his suspension and rejoin the team in Week 7 and fill in as needed behind the team’s more experienced passers.