Haener entered Monday's loss to the Chiefs after starter Derek Carr (oblique) left the contest late due to injury, Mike Triplett of New Orleans Football reports.
Haener entered Monday's contest late and completed two of seven pass attempts for 17 yards while rushing twice for 11 yards in the eventual loss. Despite finishing with the same number of rushing attempts as passing, the Fresno State alum is not considered a rushing quarterback. Haener did complete 69 percent of his passes over a four-year collegiate career, so he would need to provide voluminous passing stats in any spot starts Carr may require (if any).
... See More... See Less
Saints' Jake Haener: Serving as No. 2 quarterback
Rotowire
Haener carried three times for minus-3 yards in Sunday's 44-19 win over the Cowboys.
Haener has opened the season as the Saints' No. 2 quarterback, backing up Derek Carr in both of the team's first two contests while Spencer Rattler has been a healthy inactive as the third man on the depth chart. With Carr leading the Saints to blowout wins over the Panthers and Cowboys, Haener has seen garbage-time action in the fourth quarter of both contests. The two late-game cameos represented his first NFL appearances, as Haener didn't see any action with the Saints as a fourth-round rookie a season ago.
... See More... See Less
Saints' Jake Haener: Starts but outplayed by Rattler
Rotowire
Haener started Sunday's 30-27 preseason loss to the Titans and completed eight of 17 passes for 87 yards, without a touchdown or interception. He added one rushing attempt for six yards.
Haener and Spencer Rattler alternated two-possession chunks under center, but Rattler led three touchdown drives and got points on all four of his possessions, while the Saints sputtered to just three points on Haener's six drives. Any slim lead Haener had in the competition to begin the regular season as Derek Carr's top backup could have evaporated with this poor performance, but it's possible the Saints will opt to keep the 2023 fourth-round draft pick on their 53-man roster, even if the rookie fifth-round pick Rattler now may be the favorite to occupy the second spot on the quarterback depth chart for the Sept. 8 regular-season opener against the Panthers.
... See More... See Less
Saints' Jake Haener: Diagnosed with skin cancer
Rotowire
Haener revealed Friday that he has a rare form of skin cancer on his face and will have an evaluation Thursday to determine his treatment plan moving forward, Mike Triplett of New Orleans.Football reports.
Haener added that the condition isn't believed to be life-threatening, but he is still determining whether to put off treatment. If Haener opts to put off treatment, he would likely continue to compete against rookie fifth-round draft pick Spencer Rattler for the backup quarterback job behind Derek Carr throughout training camp and the preseason.
... See More... See Less
Saints' Jake Haener: Never plays as rookie
Rotowire
Haener did not appear in a game during his 2023 rookie season.
Haener was suspended for the first six games of the season and never appeared in any games as a rookie. The fourth-round pick likely never would have seen the field even if he was not suspended, as veteran Jameis Winston appeared firmly planted as the Saints' primary backup quarterback behind Derek Carr heading into the regular season. The starting signal-caller was knocked out of three games due to injuries this season, and Winston handled the remainder of quarterback reps in his absence. Haener will likely get an opportunity to compete with Winston for the No. 2 quarterback spot heading into the 2024 campaign.
