Who is the worst starting quarterback in the NFL? Is it Daniel Jones? Spencer Rattler? Is it...well, let's be real. It's one of those two guys, and of the two, I'm going to go with Rattler. That's not to say he can't improve, as his ceiling is certainly higher than Jones, but at the moment, he's the league's worst starter.
But, like, what does that mean, man? Does being the 32nd-best starter mean he's the 32nd-best quarterback? Or are there backup quarterbacks elsewhere in the league who are theoretically better than Rattler?
I'll answer that real quick here: yes, yes there are! In fact, there are a lot of backup quarterbacks who are better!
Here are the 18 backup quarterbacks who could start over Spencer Rattler and give the Saints a better chance to win football games.
Mitchell Trubisky - Buffalo Bills
We're starting with a very borderline case. Trubisky has struggled when pressed into starting action since leaving Chicago, but the former first-round pick has a big arm and should still have enough speed left to escape pressure. Turnovers have always been an issue, but if you just need someone to go out there and fire some YOLO balls off, Trubisky isn't the worst option.
Cooper Rush - Baltimore Ravens
Maybe the Saints should have brought in a quarterback who has experience working with head coach Kellen Moore. Cooper Rush spent seven seasons in Dallas, making 14 starts and posting an impressive 9-5 record in those starts. He's thrown twice as many touchdowns as interceptions in his career. Rush isn't nearly as bad as Cowboys haters like to think he is, and he could survive a short stint as a starter in the league.
Jake Browning - Cincinnati Bengals
Jake Browning was really, really good when he was forced to start seven games in 2023 for the Bengals, posting a league-best 70.4 completion percentage. He didn't throw a single pass in 2024 and Cincinnati hopes he won't this year either, but he should be able to compete for a starting job somewhere else in 2026.
Mason Rudolph - Pittsburgh Steelers
Rudolph wouldn't have been on this list a year ago, but he looked serviceable with the Titans last season. He's probably always going to be one of those guys who shouldn't be a starter but who teams feel solid about having as their backup because of his previous starting experience.
Davis Mills - Houston Texans
Houston couldn't win games with Davis Mills under center, but I lay the blame for that more on the team as a whole and the coaching situation there before DeMeco Ryans took over. Mills has a turnover problem, but his throws that don't result in interceptions are usually on target. He'd be one of the league's most boring starters if he had to do it again, but he wouldn't be an embarrassment.
Anthony Richardson - Indianapolis Colts
Anthony Richardson might be the least accurate passer in the NFL, but he has a cannon for an arm and can be used for designed run plays. There are a few NFL teams, including the one he currently plays for, that would be in a better spot if they threw him out on the field.
Gardner Minshew - Kansas City Chiefs
If Patrick Mahomes goes down, Gardner Minshew is probably good enough to keep the team from completely bottoming out. His 2024 numbers were rough as the interception monster finally caught up, but it was also likely an anomaly, as it was the only time he'd started eight or more games and posted an interception rate above two percent.
Kenny Pickett - Las Vegas Raiders
It's probably because both started their careers in Pittsburgh, but Kenny Pickett feels, to me, like the next Mason Rudolph, which I mean in both a good and bad way. The bad way is that neither is good enough to be the starter for competitive teams. The good way is that both should be able to stick around as backups and survive the occasional spot start.
Jameis Winston - New York Giants
Jameis Winston has no place in New York. The team doesn't need a veteran backup behind Russell Wilson when they have a first-round rookie on the roster who looks mostly ready for the NFL. Winston should already be the Saints starting quarterback.
Jaxson Dart - New York Giants
Jaxson Dart might be good enough already to be the deserving starter in New York over Russell Wilson. The 2025 first-round pick is the clear No. 2 quarterback in this class due to his accuracy and mobility, but he's currently just third on the Giants depth chart because the team decided it really needed Jameis Winston, for some reason.
Marcus Mariota - Washington Commanders
Marcus Mariota has settled well into his role as a journeyman backup, and the limited playing time we saw from him last year was really impressive. While he didn't make a start for the Commanders, he saw action in three games, completing 77.3 percent of his pass attempts with four touchdowns and no interceptions. He can be a serviceable starter if that's what a team needs him to be.
Tyson Bagent - Chicago Bears
The Bears just invested some money in Tyson Bagent, which, IMO, speaks less to any lack of confidence in Caleb Williams and more to the fact that they realize backup quarterbacks are important and Bagent is a solid one. In 2023, Bagent completed 65.7 percent of his pass attempts and rushed for a pair of touchdowns. He's in that tier where he's not good enough to be a team's long-term starter, but you can definitely survive for short periods if you have to start him.
Malik Willis - Green Bay Packers
I was, like, SUPER high on Malik Willis back in 2022. Thought he might have a chance to be a viable NFL quarterback. I was wrong, but Willis showed a ton of improvement last year when he was pressed into action for the Packers, winning both of his starts and completing 74.1 percent of his passes. Willis deserves another shot to start somewhere in the NFL, even if it probably wouldn't work out very well for him.
Kirk Cousins - Atlanta Falcons
Kirk Cousins led the NFL in interceptions last season, but double-digit picks aren't a new thing for him. It's always been something you just have to live with, and everything else about his game mostly makes up for the turnover concerns. Cousins could still be a legitimate starter if he weren't stuck in Atlanta, where the Falcons have already turned their eye toward the future.
Andy Dalton - Carolina Panthers
The caveat here is that Dalton is currently dealing with an elbow injury, so obviously the Saints wouldn't want to start him this week, but a healthy Andy Dalton can still (probably) be a decent game manager. He was decent for the Panthers last year after replacing Bryce Young, though the word "decent" is probably the nicest thing you can say about his 2024 performance.
Jacoby Brissett - Arizona Cardinals
The Cleveland Browns should have simply just stuck with Jacoby Brissett in 2022. He's one of the best quarterbacks ever when it comes to avoiding turnovers, and you might think I'm exaggerating that, but I'm not! His career 1.4 percent interception rate is literally the lowest rate in NFL history among qualifying players. I guess he loses some points for how poorly his five starts for the Patriots went last year, but I believe in a Brissett bounce-back.
Jimmy Garoppolo - Los Angeles Rams
I don't think anyone is still under the same delusions they once were about Jimmy G. He won a lot because he played for some really good 49ers teams, but his showing in Vegas in 2023 was a wake-up call that he's not really anything more than a serviceable game manager. Still, there are teams that could use a serviceable game manager!
Mac Jones - San Francisco 49ers
Finally, we get to a guy who would 100 percent improve the Saints if they made a move for him: Mac Jones. Sure, his 2021 rookie performance has been proven to be an illusion, but he's a fairly accurate passer except for the three percent of throws that he sends to the opposing team. Jones was way, way overhyped coming out of Alabama, but he's at least a top 40 quarterback in the NFL, something that a couple of teams don't have on their roster.