Kellen Moore reveals Saints' QB plan after Derek Carr retirement

With Derek Carr’s retirement announcement, the New Orleans Saints now have three quarterbacks on the roster. They will all have an opportunity to compete for the starting job, head coach Kellen Moore said.

Moore told reporters Spencer Rattler, Jake Haener and rookie Tyler Shough will all battle to become the Saints’ starting QB. The competition will go into training camp, and he expects it to be settled “naturally.”

Rattler and Haener both got run last year after Carr suffered an injury. Shough also has plenty of experience from his time in college football across three programs before the Saints selected him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft. They’ll all go against one another to replace Carr as QB1, Moore said.

“All three quarterbacks, we’re going to let all three of these guys roll,” Moore said. “They’ve all earned these opportunities. We’ll let Jake, Spencer and Tyler – all three – go through this process. We’ll play patience, let these guys compete, let them get into training camp.”

Rattler appeared in seven games, including six starts, in 2024 as a rookie out of South Carolina. He threw for 1,317 yards and four touchdowns, along with five interceptions, during that time. Haener made eight appearances and got one start, as well, throwing for 226 yards and a touchdown.

Shough played seven years of college football, starting at Oregon in 2018 as a backup to Justin Herbert before three years at Texas Tech from 2021-24. However, he flourished at Louisville in 2024, throwing for 3,195 yards and 23 touchdowns, along with six interceptions, to become one of the more interesting quarterback prospects in the draft. At age 25, he’s a year older than Rattler.

Of course, the Saints also have Taysom Hill on the roster, although he primarily plays tight end and had a package of plays at wildcat quarterback. However, it appears it will be a three-man race for the starting quarterback job.

Carr’s retirement comes amid questions about a shoulder injury. Ultimately, doctors told him it could require surgery, and the Saints announced he opted to retire rather than risk missing the entire 2025 campaign.

Carr signed a four-year, $150 million contract with the Saints ahead of the 2023 season and put up impressive numbers after leaving the Las Vegas Raiders. He threw for 3,878 yards and 25 touchdowns in 17 games as New Orleans finished 9-8. However, injuries got in he way of his 2024 campaign as he totaled 2,145 yards and 15 touchdowns.