Saints to start Spencer Rattler at QB with Derek Carr out

National Football League

Updated Oct. 9, 2024 6:00 p.m. ET

The New Orleans Saints are turning to a rookie quarterback with Derek Carr out.

Spencer Rattler will start at quarterback for the Saints when they take on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6, head coach Dennis Allen told reporters on Wednesday.

“We talked a lot as a staff on what we felt was the best thing for us to give us the best chance to win the game,” Allen said. “That was the decision that we made. We’re excited about him getting the opportunity to go in there and let him go play and see what he can do.”

While Rattler was tabbed to start against the Buccaneers, it was second-year quarterback Jake Haener who replaced Carr in Monday’s game after the veteran suffered an oblique injury in their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. Haener, who the Saints selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft, completed 2 of 7 passes for 17 yards and rushed for 11 yards in the lone drive he played in Monday’s game.

The Saints selected Rattler in the fifth round of the 2024 NFL Draft and had him compete with Haener for the backup job behind Carr during training camp and the preseason. Rattler completed 20 of 38 passes (52.6 percent) for 202 yards and a touchdown over the three preseason games he played.

Rattler could be starting beyond Sunday for the Saints, as Carr is reportedly expected to miss “multiple games” due to the oblique injury.

“It wasn’t even the hit, honestly. It was just when I dropped back and torqued to throw … I asked if there was anything we could do about it and there was not enough time,” Carr told reporters about his injury following Monday’s game.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

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New Orleans Saints

Spencer Rattler

Derek Carr