If Spencer Rattler and Derek Carr hoped for fresh starts in 2026, they have to be feeling disappointed. There just hasn't been any trade interest for either of them, and for their part, the New Orleans Saints aren't eager to shop them around. Rattler is an affordable backup who knows Kellen Moore's playbook and hasn't been butting heads with Tyler Shough. Trading him just for the sake of it wouldn't make much sense.
With that said, Rattler was one of three quarterbacks who ESPN's Adam Schefter said "could gain interest" in the draft, along with Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts) and Will Levis (Tennessee Titans). What circumstances could lead to teams calling about those quarterbacks is remains to be seen, but with outfits like the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers looking thin under center, it's not hard to connect the dots. You could throw the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, and maybe the Los Angeles Rams in the mix, too, depending on how they each feel about their futures.
So what do we know? It's certain that Fernando Mendoza will go to the Las Vegas Raiders at first overall. After that? Only one team can draft Ty Simpson, and nobody else inspires much confidence. Maybe a team talks themselves into developing Garrett Nussmeier or Drew Allar for a year, but neither of them should be asked to start come September. Simpson has often been linked to the Cardinals, who have a couple of journeymen under contract between Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew. But what if the Steelers lose patience with Aaron Rodgers stringing them along and pick Simpson before Arizona has a chance? They could do worse than to bring in a younger local guy who has matured a lot since high school.
But, again: New Orleans shouldn't be shopping Rattler. They also shouldn't trade him for nothing. If they do start receiving calls, they need to at least get back a better pick than they spent on him in the first place (No. 150 overall, in the fifth round). Maybe that means asking for a 2027 pick in what's supposed to be a deeper draft class. Whatever the case, he's on the team right now. We'll see if that's still the case this time next week.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Saints QB Spencer Rattler could be traded, per ESPN