Who Should I Start? Spencer Rattler or Aidan O'Connell

Wednesday, July 23, 3:07 PM

With Derek Carr's retirement this offseason, the New Orleans Saints are splitting first-team reps between Spencer Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough. Rattler will get Wednesday's reps while Shough will receive first-team reps on Thursday. Rattler completed just 57% of his passes last season, tossing four touchdowns and five picks in seven appearances. Shough, a strong-armed rookie from Louisville, was selected 40th overall by the Saints in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft and is competing with Rattler for the Saints' starting quarterback gig. With no clear leader emerging, this competition could stretch through training camp. The uncertainty under center adds risk to the fantasy outlooks of Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave, both of whom depend heavily on quarterback efficiency for consistent volume and red-zone production.

Friday, April 11, 12:07 PM

The Las Vegas Raiders signed quarterback Geno Smith to a two-year, $75 million contract extension this offseason, but it's extremely team-friendly, and The Athletic's Vic Tafur thinks bringing in a young QB in this year's NFL draft to learn behind Smith makes sense. Tafur also thinks the Raiders might trade backup Aidan O'Connell on draft weekend. The Raiders have a clear out with Smith after 2026, as they guaranteed only $18.5 of his $26.5 million 2026 salary, and none of the $39.5 million he's due to make in 2027. Minority owner Tom Brady likes the idea of rookie QBs sitting and learning, and the Raiders will have some interesting options later in the draft in what is considered a down year for QBs. Tafur doesn't think it makes much sense to take Colorado's Shedeur Sanders at No. 6 overall, and a good number of QBs could be off the board by the team's second pick at No. 37 overall.