The Saints have still not named their starting quarterback, but they have elected to move on from their projected No. 3 option. Jake Haener is being waived, Mike Garafolo, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL Network report.
Not part of the latter stages of the Saints’ quarterback battle, Haener will be cut with two years remaining on his rookie deal. The Saints drafted the Fresno State product in the 2023 fourth round. He is due a $1.03MM base salary in 2025.
Haener will be a candidate to pass through waivers to a practice squad. With New Orleans only having two QBs on its current roster (Spencer Rattler, Tyler Shough), it would make sense a player the team developed for two years would be a candidate for that emergency QB3 role. But the Saints did change coaching staffs this offseason, potentially pointing Haener elsewhere. A practice squad arrangement could indeed be in store, Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football notes.
The Saints gave Haener one start last season, doing so after initially turning to Rattler — a 2024 fifth-round pick — to fill in for an injured Derek Carr. Haener both relieved Rattler during Carr’s first bout of injury trouble and then received a Week 15 start amid Carr’s second 2024 hiatus. Interim HC Darren Rizzi benched Haener during that start, going back to Rattler for the rest of the season.
Completing 4 of 10 passes before being benched in December, Haener holds a 46.2% completion rate (compiled over 39 attempts last season). He is certainly a backup- or QB3-type arm at this point, seeing as the Saints’ ongoing QB battle moved on without him. Haener suffered an oblique strain during the team’s offseason program, hurting his chances of winning the 2025 job following Carr’s retirement. Kellen Moore will determine a starter soon, with the Saints being the last team with an unsettled QB situation.