When the Saints (1-5) head to Chicago to face the Bears (3-2) Sunday, a reunion of sorts will take place.
Bears franchise quarterback Caleb Williams and current Saints starter Spencer Rattler were once teammates at the University of Oklahoma. They each went in separate directions after their one season spent together, and for the first time since then, their divergent football journeys will intersect once again.
Back in 2021, the Oklahoma Sooners were in the catbird seat under center. They boasted a five-star recruit in Rattler and a promising youngster seated behind him in Williams. It seemed like an ideal situation — that is, until an ugly first half against rival Texas prompted coach Lincoln Riley to bench Rattler for the younger Williams.
The rest is history. Only a freshman, Williams sparked an incredible comeback in the storied rivalry game, claiming the job permanently (until he followed Riley to USC) and sending Rattler east as a transfer to South Carolina, where he finished his collegiate career.
“The past is the past. We’re focused on the present and the future, but I would say, yeah, that definitely led me to South Carolina,” Rattler said on Wednesday of his benching. “It was a blessing in disguise that I got to play with the Gamecocks and develop there and get ready to the league after that.”
Both entered the NFL in the same 2024 class with vastly different valuations: Williams went No. 1 overall to Chicago, while Rattler waited until Day 3 to hear his name called in the fifth round.
