Saints Quarterback Announces Cancer Diagnosis Ahead of 2024 NFL Season

A scary development is unfolding for the New Orleans Saints ahead of the 2024 NFL season.

On Friday afternoon, quarterback Jake Haener revealed that he had been diagnosed with a form of skin cancer. The 25-year-old did not reveal what type of cancer it was but did say that it is not considered life-threatening, fortunately.

"It's not going be like a life-threatening thing right now," said Haener after practice on Friday while sporting a small bandage on his face.

Haener, who will battle for the backup spot in New Orleans this year with rookie Spencer Rattler, was selected by the Saints with the No. 127 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. He played for four seasons at the college level, the last three of which came with the Fresno State Bulldogs.

Haener has yet to play any snaps in the NFL with the Saints.

Haener told ESPN that he will be figuring out the next steps in his recovery process over the next week, with the knowledge that he will have to get a procedure done in the near future.

It is currently unclear how much time Haener will miss, if any, because of this. So far this year, he has been a full participant in all three training camp sessions for New Orleans.

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