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.