RESOLVING THE LEDGER
This is one outlet's own report from Yahoo Sports — the article as it was filed. Other outlets are covering the same event; open the full story to compare every source side by side.
See the full story · 1 sourcesThe New Orleans Saints have made their decision on the next franchise quarterback in Tyler Shough, but now have Spencer Rattler on the roster for the next couple of seasons as backup. This isn't the situation that any quarterback wants to be in, especially one who had the grasp on a starting position just last year, but nothing about Rattlers suggests he will be anything but superbly professional throughout.
Rattler took the stage for his training camp media availability and was asked about if he had thought about if he was going to get an opportunity to get a starting job somewhere else this year. It's a fair question that was handled well by the quarterback.
"You know, hey, look, I’m just focused on my job right now here," Rattler said. "Obviously, you know, this is a great situation here. We’ve got a great young team, a great young quarterback room. We’re all still growing, all still in the same area of our career. You know, whatever I can do to help this team elevate, that’s my job right now."
It's funny to hear, given the history he has and the reputation he gained from his early football days, but he's clearly matured a lot over the years. If he were to be cut, perhaps he could fight for more chances somewhere else.
Worst case scenario, he sits around for a year or two and learn under a growing offense with a great quarterback mind like Kellen Moore, potentially extending his career as a backup. Rattler, Tyler Shough and Zach Wilson all seem to have respect for one another.
"In the QB room, it's always gonna be, you know, you gotta be there for each other... I think we all do a good job of building together, competing versus each other. You know, he throws a good ball, I want to match it. I throw a good ball, he wants to match it," Rattler continued when asked about his relationship with teammates.
This is a good situation for Rattler to be in right now, but it's also great for the team, which is why he isn't going anywhere right now. He's a young, hungry, competitive quarterback who is going to be pushing Shough throughout the season. Should Shough struggle, they could realistically go back to Rattler as someone who has experience in the system. It would take a lot to actually happen, but the threat is there.
Overall, this can still be viewed as a win-win for both parties. Rattler can continue to develop and grow his reputation as a backup while New Orleans gets someone who can at least run the offense at a base level other than Shough.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Spencer Rattler talks role with Saints, relationship with Tyler Shough
AIPROPX is an independent multi-source news index — we track, compare, and connect coverage from across the web into one place you won't find anywhere else.