NFL Rumors: Saints’ Derek Carr Out 3-4 Weeks with Injury; Spencer Rattler to Be QB1

Adam WellsOctober 13, 2024

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Spencer Rattler’s tenure as starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints could extend beyond this week.

On Fox’s NFL Kickoff show on Sunday (h/t Ari Meirov of The 33rd Team), Jay Glazer reported that Derek Carr is expected to miss three to four weeks with an oblique injury and Rattler will be given the chance to showcase his talent on the field for the time being.

Carr suffered the injury late in the fourth quarter of the Saints’ 26-13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Oct. 7. He said after the game it occurred on a deep pass attempt for Mason Tipton with 9:38 remaining.

Jake Haener replaced Carr on the Saints’ final drive. The second-year quarterback has only appeared in three games this season, completing two of eight attempts for 17 yards.

ESPN’s Katherine Terrell reported on Tuesday that an MRI confirmed the injury to Carr’s oblique, and the Saints didn’t have a timetable for his potential return at that point.

After a hot start to the season, Carr and the Saints offense has cooled down over the past three weeks. They have scored a total of 49 points in their past three games after scoring 91 in the first two weeks.

The Saints have lost three straight games entering Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Rattler was a fifth-round pick by the Saints in the 2024 draft after a five-year college career split between Oklahoma and South Carolina. He was regarded as an intriguing prospect in this year’s quarterback class because of his elite arm talent.

The Arizona native was the nation’s top-ranked quarterback recruit coming out of high school in 2019, but he never consistently put all of that ability to use on field in college.

Rattler seems poised to get an extended look as the starter until Carr is out of action. If he looks good during this stretch, it gives the Saints some hope they could develop him as a long-term option at quarterback whenever they want to move on from Carr.

After Sunday’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Saints play the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers over the next two weeks.