He started six games as a rookie in place of an injured Carr, while Haener made just one start — his first and only as a pro — last year.
Rattler went 0-6 as a starter in 2024 for a 5-12 Saints team.
His winless run extended the longest active drought for a club without a win by a rookie QB, according to NFL Research. New Orleans last won a game with a rookie signal-caller starting all the way back in Week 10, 1981, when Dave Wilson quarterbacked the Saints past the Los Angeles Rams, 21-13.
It was the last of just five wins by the Saints with a rookie QB at the helm, per NFL Research. That’s the lowest tally since at least 1950.
Quite simply, the Saints have been starved for rookie QB success for the vast majority of their NFL history.
Shough will have to win the job first before he can win a game. He’ll have to get by Rattler and Haener, who’s dealing with a minor oblique injury at the moment.
Considering his draft status, Shough is the big favorite to get the QB1 gig this offseason.
Should he go ahead and do that, he’ll make history by becoming the first New Orleans Week 1 rookie starter since Manning more than five decades ago.