The Jacksonville Jaguars held out Trevor Lawrence in the preseason. That was the right call since the last thing they'd want is to expose No. 16 to an unnecessary injury. The decision allowed Nick Mullens and the rest of the Jags' quarterbacks to show what they brought to the table. The team's decision-makers weren't thrilled with the results, which is why they traded for Quinn Ewers.
But before Jacksonville acquired Ewers, they had set their sights on another quarterback. Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.Football reported on Twitter that the Jags had inquired about Spencer Rattler before trading for Ewers.
This doesn't come as a surprise when you take into account that Jacksonville needed reinforcements behind Trevor Lawrence. On top of that, general manager James Gladstone isn't afraid to make a trade to address a roster need. Then again, the fact that he targeted Rattler was a bit unexpected.
Why did the Jaguars target Spencer Rattler?
It's worth noting that the Jaguars and New Orleans have previously made other deals aside from the Quinn Ewers trade. Just last year, Jacksonville sent center Luke Fortner to the Saints in return for defensive tackle Khalen Saunders Sr. just hours after playing them in the preseason.
This isn't why it's not shocking to find out that James Gladstone reached out to his Saints counterpart, Micky Loomis, to see if Spencer Rattler was available. This begs the question, though, why did Jacksonville have Rattler on its radar?
A fifth-round pick of New Orleans in 2025, Rattler was the primary backup behind first-round pick Tyler Shough. The Saints also added Zach Wilson in free agency, but he needed to compete for a roster spot.
Maybe the Jaguars thought that New Orleans would be willing to move on from Rattler with Wilson in the mix. Coincidentally, Wilson could have been another trade option for Jacksonville, but based on the inquiry, it was obvious Gladstone liked Rattler more.
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Should the Jaguars have made a stronger push for Spencer Rattler?
In the end, it's hard to imagine Spencer Rattler was the only quarterback the Jaguars targeted, and if they really wanted him, they could have sweetened their offer. Of course, there's also a chance that the Saints simply liked Rattler more than whatever pick that they were offered.
Either way, the Jags ended up with Quinn Ewers, and unless Rattler turns out to be an All-Pro quarterback, they probably won't mind missing out on him.
Of course, Rattler could be a better quarterback down the road than Ewers, but Ewers is no slouch, and the Jags wouldn't have traded for him if they didn't think he could give their quarterback room a boost.
The truth is that Quinn Ewers gives the Jaguars a quarterback with intriguing upside. And if he develops into a fine backup, it won't matter that they weren't able to land Spencer Rattler.
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