The Atlanta Falcons are in the process of finalizing their 53-man roster, and hopefully, they will find the group of players that will help them make their first playoff appearance since 2017. But while they’ll have to make some tough decisions, one of the areas they will be set at is quarterback.
Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is entering his first full season as a starter, and Kirk Cousins will be a well-compensated backup behind him. Whether it's Penix or Cousins, the Falcons believe that they’ve given whoever is playing quarterback the pieces to succeed and give the Tampa Bay Buccaneers a challenger for the NFC South division crown.
While the Falcons feel good about their quarterbacks, the same can’t be said about another division rival, the New Orleans Saints. Although the announcement they made on Tuesday had been in the works for a while, the Falcons have to be licking their chops as they decided on a starting quarterback.
Spencer Rattler has been named the #Saints starting QB, Kellen Moore announced pic.twitter.com/AECr38PC2v
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) August 26, 2025
Saints Make Woeful Choice Tabbing Spencer Rattler as Starting QB
The Saints announced on Tuesday that Spencer Rattler will be their starting quarterback to begin the 2025 season. Rattler was battling Jake Haener and Tyler Shough for the job, but came out on top after Haener was released and Shough struggled during training camp and the preseason.
Rattler has some starting experience from his rookie year, but it didn’t go well. The fifth-round pick out of Oklahoma appeared in seven games for the Saints but lost all six of his starts, completing 57% of his passes for 1,317 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions.
While Kellen Moore took over as Saints head coach and added Shough in the second round of April’s draft, the 25-year-old rookie completed 36-of-54 passes for 333 yards, a touchdown, and an interception in the team’s three preseason games.
As if lighting the 40th overall pick in April’s draft on fire wasn’t enough to draw a laugh out of Falcons fans, they could be delirious when they line up against the Saints this season. The Falcons bolstered their pass rush with James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker in the draft and are hoping for significant improvement under defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich.
Maybe the Saints are trying to tank for Texas quarterback Arch Manning, but even those plans could be foiled if the New Orleans native stays in school another year. Regardless, the Saints appear to be ripe for the picking and give the Falcons one less team to worry about in 2025.