Saints' Spencer Rattler's fall from No. 1 pick to 5th round has a happy ending
The New Orleans Saints may not have seen this coming.
And at least in his negative thoughts, Spencer Rattler may not have seen it coming, either.
But it feels pretty clear now: Rattler is an NFL starting quarterback.
The Saints gave Rattler the job to begin this season, a year after drafting him in the fifth round. They likely figured at some point they'd turn to second-round rookie Tyler Shough.
Rattler, who went 20-for-26 passing on Sunday, has had other ideas. Although the Saints as a team have struggled, Rattler has been the real deal.
He's accurate and athletic and pushes the ball down the field. It's a great skillset.
It makes some sense to those who have followed Rattler's career for a long time.
In college, if he could've come out one year earlier, he would've been in contention for the No. 1 overall pick.
But then he struggled so much he stayed in school, and then he struggled some more.
It bumped Rattler down to the fifth round.
QBs rarely make it out of the fifth round to success, but Rattler started as a rookie and has gotten better as a second-year quarterback.
He's got youth on his side, too, at least to an extent. He's actually exactly 365 days younger than Shough.
The Saints may not know enough to commit to Rattler super long term yet. But he's also proven he belongs in the NFL, and it's been a winding journey to reach this point.
Steelers Are Gearing Up To Have Brutal Conversation With Mike Tomlin: 'It's About The Situation'
The Pittsburgh Steelers have once again found themselves starting hot in a season and fading as the year progresses. The 2025 offseason was one of the most ambitious in recent franchise history, with Pittsburgh going all-in to acquire 41-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers in hopes of finally pushing the team back into true contender status. However, now sitting at 6-5, the Steelers have officially lost their lead in the AFC North, and what once looked like a promising campaign has quickly turned into a season that desperately needs saving.
With the year slipping away, conversations about longtime Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin have already begun to swirl. For years, many Steelers fans have believed there was no realistic scenario in which Tomlin would ever be fired. It’s been a longstanding debate within the national media that Tomlin is actually a great head coach, but many Steelers fans disagree and believe his message has grown stale. Most of those fans also don’t think Art Rooney II would ever fire Tomlin, no matter how frustrated the fanbase becomes.
However, NFL insider Albert Breer revealed on Wednesday that the Steelers are certainly open to having some brutal, uncomfortable discussions with Tomlin depending on how the 2025 season ends. It’s a rare acknowledgment from within league circles that even in a famously stable organization, patience may finally be wearing thin.
"I think it is gonna take having some real hard discussions on where they're at, on where Mike Tomlin's at, on how everyone feels about the position that they're in," Breer said on the
Sports Illustrated's YouTube channel after he was asked about Tomlin's future.
Of course, everything could still change. Tomlin has pulled off late-season turnarounds before, and a deep playoff run would erase much of the growing tension and immediately reshape public conversation.
However, until that happens, the reality remains: the Steelers have not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. For a franchise defined by excellence and postseason success, that drought looms larger than ever as Pittsburgh fights to salvage what was supposed to be its breakthrough year.
"There's no question that if Mike Tomlin became available, he would not last very long in the coaching market," Breer said. "Somebody would swoop in and snap him up. So this isn't about his value as a coach. It's about the situation that everybody's in."
Breer pointed out that Tomlin is still viewed around the league as an extremely exceptional head coach and leader capable of turning a franchise around. It seems similar to what Andy Reid had to go through with the Philadelphia Eagles, as sometimes a new face is needed.
Steelers May Finally Be Ready To Move On From Mike Tomlin
In Reid’s case, it ended up working out for both the Eagles and for him personally when he moved to the Kansas City Chiefs. All parties won Super Bowls and experienced many meaningful victories. That is the path many suggest Tomlin should consider, not just for the Steelers, but for himself.
Whatever has been tried so far has not worked in the minds of many fans. Still, in the NFL, it is never over, and Tomlin is not giving up. He is preparing to find a way to get his team to pull off an upset win in Week 13 at home against the Buffalo Bills. If Pittsburgh can sneak out of Acrisure Stadium with a win over Josh Allen, it would certainly change the outlook on the 2025 season. A loss, however, would continue this discussion and only amplify it.
Steelers fans, what percent chance would you give that Pittsburgh moves on from Mike Tomlin after the 2025 season?
