Battling through both a rare form of skin cancer and for a spot on the New Orleans' 53-man roster , Jake Haener turned in the best performance under center in the Saints ' 16-14 NFL preseason victory over Arizona on Saturday night.
Haener took the field after receiving 32 stitches as part of his cancer treatment , which is currently considered "non-life-threatening," and completed 9-13 passes for 102 yards.
The former Fresno State quarterback said that, while he was supposed to take a week off practice, guys in a fight can't take days off and took the field midway through the first quarter. His first two drives were derailed by holding penalties, but the sophomore began his third possession with an 11-yard connection to A.T. Perry, marching New Orleans inside the 5-yard line to set up a field goal that gave his squad a 3-0 lead.
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Haener connected with Perry in much more explosive fashion after retaking the field just before the halftime intermission, stepping up in the pocket and finding the sixth-round draft pick on a corner route toward the left sideline, who dipped out of bounds just inside the red zone 58 yards downfield. The Saints capped off his final drive of the evening with a field goal, with rookie Spencer Rattler taking the remaining snaps under center, and Haener earned the praise of head coach Dennis Allen for his efficient outing.
After a lone season at Washington, Haener transferred to Fresno State and current Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, exploding during his second year in central California. He threw for more than 4,000 yards in a breakout 10-win season, including wins over No. 13 UCLA and No. 21 San Diego State, and was later selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft after an efficient senior season limited by injuries.
Haener struggled to translate his high-volume collegiate production into the NFL, however, delivering a series of unassured preseason performances and missing the first six regular season games for violating the league's substance policy. The 6'1 gunslinger failed to make an appearance the rest of the year, and although previous backup Jameis Winston moved on to Cleveland, many have shifted their favor toward fellow late-round draft pick Spencer Rattler.
Rattler led the Saints offense through the entire second half, and despite an unflattering 9-17 stat line, he charmed Saints fans with a clutch two-minute drill that set up a game-winning field goal in the final seconds.
"I thought he executed with poise, I thought he made some plays," head coach Dennis Allen said about Rattler. "I thought he was able to create a little bit with his feet when things didn't go exactly as he wanted it to. So I thought he did a good job."
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