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The New Orleans Saints finally named a starting quarterback, ending a battle between two players who never won an NFL game.

Spencer Rattler won the job over second-round rookie Tyler Shough, as the quarterback who went 0-6 in six starts in his rookie season will start Week 1 against the Arizona Cardinals. Rattler completed 57% of his passes in his seven games last season, as the former fifth-round pick threw for 1,317 yards with four touchdowns to five interceptions (70.4 passer rating). 

Shough played seven seasons of college football at Oregon, Texas Tech, and Louisville -- throwing for 3,195 yards with 23 touchdowns and six interceptions for the Cardinals last season. He was the third quarterback taken in the 2025 draft, 

Saints coach Kellen Moore didn't have much of a choice with this quarterback battle, especially after Derek Carr's sudden retirement. Wither Rattler or Shough started in Week 1, either quarterback would be at the bottom of the 32 starting quarterbacks around the league.

The NFL has its fair share of poor starting quarterbacks, and it's not out of the ordinary for some of them to start in Week 1 of the season. Whether that quarterback got the start because of injury or the team is destined to have a poor season, some interesting quarterbacks have started opening day for whatever reason. 

There have been plenty of interesting quarterbacks who started in Week 1 since the start of the 2000 season, and some are certainly going to give the shock factor. Some of these starting quarterbacks actually had successful careers in the league, even if they weren't starters for a majority of their careers. One of these players was an interesting Week 1 starter because of the team he played for that year (not the team he is identified with). 

So there are actually worse Week 1 starters than Rattler? The answer is yes, and 17 of these 18 Week 1 starters since the turn of the century are among the worst the league has seen.

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Cody Benjamin
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Mike Glennon (Chicago Bears)

  • Week 1 starter: 2017

In one of the worst contracts given to a quarterback, the Bears gave Glennon three years and $45 million in the 2017 offseason -- ensuring the quarterback with just 18 career starts in his first four seasons was going to start Week 1 that season. Glennon's year with the Bears was a disaster, as he went 26 of 40 for 213 yards with a touchdown and zero interceptions (86.8) rating) in a 23-17 loss to the Falcons. He was benched after four games for Mitchell Trubisky, and never played again with the Bears. Glennon started nine more games in his career, never winning another start. 

Charlie Frye (Cleveland Browns)

  • Week 1 starter: 2006, 2007

Frye opened the 2006 season as the Browns' starting quarterback, completing 16 of 27 passes for 132 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions (53.3 rating), starting 13 games for Cleveland that season. A third-round pick in 2005, Frye started Week 1 of the 2007 seaosn as well, going 4 of 10 for 34 yards with an interception (10.0 rating) before being benched -- and he was sacked five times. Frye made four more starts in his career, playing his last NFL game in 2009. 

Doug Johnson (Atlanta Falcons)

  • Week 1 starter: 2003

In case anyone was wondering who Doug Johnson is, the former undrafted free agent from Florida was a backup for the Falcons for a few years. After Michael Vick had a preseason injury in 2003, Johnson got the call to start -- going 16 of 27 for 228 yards with two touchdowns and an interception (95.9 rating) -- along with a rushing touchdown in a 27-13 victory over the Cowboys. Johnson never won another game as a starting quarterback again, going 0-7 in the remainder of his starts with Atlanta. 

Tom Savage (Houston Texans)

  • Week 1 starter: 2000

The former fourth-round pick of the Texans started Week 1 of the 2017 season, going 7 of 13 for 62 yards (66.8 rating) while being sacked six times in a 29-7 loss to the Jaguars. Savage started six more games in his career, going 1-5 in those starts before never playing in a regular-season game again. He was 2-7 in his nine career games as a starter.

Dennis Dixon (Pittsburgh Steelers)

  • Week 1 starter: 2010

A four-game suspension to Ben Roethlisberger, and a strong preseason by Dixon gave him the start over Charlie Batch. Just his second career start, Dixon went 18 of 26 for 236 yards and an interception (81.6 rating) in a 15-9 overtime win over the Bears. Dixon started -- and played -- in one more NFL game (the next week) before being benched. He started just three games in his three seasons. 

Scott Tolzien (Indianapolis Colts)

  • Week 1 starter: 2000

The former undrafted free agent was the longtime backup of the Colts, getting the Week 1 start due to Andrew Luck's injury. This was the only game Tolzien played in 2017, going 9 of 18 for 128 yards and two interceptions (33.8 rating) -- a 46-9 loss to the Rams. Tolzien was the first of nine different Week 1 starters for the Colts, a streak that is still lasting into this year. 

J.T. O'Sullivan (San Francisco 49ers)

  • Week 1 starter: 2008

A sixth-round pick of the Saints in 2002, O'Sullivan started eight games for the 49ers in 2008 -- his only eight starts in the NFL. He got the Week 1 start that season, going 14 of 20 for 195 yards with an interception (80.2 rating) -- losing two fumbles in a 23-13 loss to the Cardinals. 

Chris Weinke (Carolina Panthers)

  • Week 1 starter: 2001

Remember when Weinke was a Heisman Trophy winner? His NFL career wasn't close to the success Weinke had in college, going 2-18 in 20 starts. A fourth-round pick in the 2001 draft, Weinke made his first career start in Week 1 -- going 13 of 22 for 223 yards with a touchdown and an interception (89.8 rating) in a 24-13 win over the Vikings. That would be the only game Carolina would win that season. 

Nathan Peterman (Buffalo Bills)

  • Week 1 starter: 2018

There's a case to be made Peterman had the worst Week 1 start this century, going 5 of 18 for 24 yards and two interceptions (0.0 rating) as the Bills lost 47-3 to the Ravens on opening day. Peterman, a former fifth-round pick of the Bills in 2017, threw five interceptions in his first career start the year prior and has just two touchdowns to 10 interceptions in his three career starts  -- going 0-3 in those games. Peterman played six years in the NFL. 

Shaun King (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

  • Week 1 starter: 2000

King actually has a winning record in his 24 career starts, and has a playoff win on his resume. How did he make this list? A Week 1 start in 2000 for the former second-round pick was the only Week 1 start of King's career, as he was replaced after the 2000 season in favor of Brad Johnson. King went 12 of 24 for 167 yards with a touchdown (86.6 rating) in that start, a 21-16 win over the Patriots. He went 10-6 that season, but only started three more games the rest of his career -- which ended in 2004. 

John Skelton (Arizona Cardinals)

  • Week 1 starter: 2012

Very interesting that Skelton started in Week 1, and won. The 2010 fifth-round pick of the Cardinals went 14 of 28 for 149 yards with an interception (51.0 rating) in a 20-16 win over the Seahawks. He started five more games in his career, never playing in a regular-season game after that season. Skelton actually went 8-9 as a starter in his career, throwing 15 touchdowns to 25 interceptions (63.0 rating). 

DeShone Kizer (Cleveland Browns)

  • Week 1 starter: 2017

Google who started 15 games for the 0-16 Browns? The answer would be Kizer, who was the Week 1 starter for that team and went 0-15 in 15 starts. He was out of the league after two seasons. Kiser actually went 20 of 30 for 222 yards with one touchdown and one interception, while rushing for a touchdown and being sacked seven times in a 21-18 loss to the Steelers. Kizer led the NFL in interceptions (22) and went 0-15 in his 15 career starts -- all that season. 

Stoney Case (Detroit Lions)

  • Week 1 starter: 2000

A former third-round pick of the Cardinals, Case started the season opener for the Lions in 2000 -- his final career start in the NFL (he started six games). Case went 13 of 25 for 100 yards with an interception for a 45.4 passer rating. The Lions won 14-10, thanks to a 95-yard punt return for a touchdown by Desmond Howard. 

Davis Mills (Houston Texans)

  • Week 1 starter: 2022

The Texans' third-round pick in 2021, Mills was the result of the Deshaun Watson fallout after Watson was suspended indefinitely. Mills started Week 1 of the 2022 season and played well, completing 23 of 37 passes for 240 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions (98.9 rating). The Texans and Colts tied 20-20, and Mills started 25 games in his career. 

Brodie Croyle (Kansas City Chiefs)

  • Week 1 starter: 2008, 2009

Croyle started 10 games in the NFL -- and never won one. A 2006 third-round pick of the Chiefs, Croyle got the starting nod in Week 1 of the 2008 season against the Patriots. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 88 yards (69.6 rating) in a 17-10 loss. He actually started in Week 1 in 2009 as well, completing 16 of 24 passes for 177 yards and two touchdowns with zero interceptions (116.1 rating). The Chiefs lost 38-24 in what was Croyle's final career start. 

Chris Redman (Baltimore Ravens)

  • Week 1 starter: 2000

A former third-round pick of the Ravens in 2000, Redman got the Week 1 start in 2002. He completed 20 of 34 passes for 218 yards with a touchdown and interception (75.4 rating) in a 10-7 loss to the Panthers -- in what was Redman's first career start. Redman started 12 games in his eight seasons, as Redman actually won NFC Offensive Player of the Week in the 2009 season. 

Luke McCown (Jacksonville Jaguars)

  • Week 1 starter: 2011

McCown was a former fourth-round pick of the Browns in 2004, but didn't get a Week 1 start until 2011. He completed 17 of 24 passes for 175 yards (91.5 rating) in a 16-14 win over the Titans, also losing a fumble. The Jaguars had one offensive touchdown, a 21-yard run by Maurice Jones-Drew. McCown was a longtime backup, starting just 10 games in his 10 NFL seasons. 

Kordell Stewart (Chicago Bears)

  • Week 1 starter: 2003

This is one of those times one forgets Stewart even played for the Bears, starting Week 1 in 2003 after eight successful seasons in Pittsburgh. Just two years removed from finishing fourth in MVP voting, Stewart had a forgetful year in Chicago -- as he completed 14 of 34 passes for 95 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions (21.9 raing). He also lost a fumble and had 21 yards rushing. He made six more starts for the Bears before never starting another game in the league, lasting two more seasons.