The New Orleans Saints already answered their primary quarterback question earlier this offseason when they signed Derek Carr to a four-year, $150 million deal in free agency. Still, that didn't stop the Saints from looking to address the quarterback position during the 2023 NFL Draft, and sure enough, they did just that when the fourth-round rolled around.
Even with Carr under center for the foreseeable future, there's no guarantee that he will succeed with the Saints, especially given how poorly he performed for the Las Vegas Raiders in the 2022 season. That's why exploring potential opportunities at quarterback made sense, and it resulted in the Saints drafting Jake Haener to come in and give New Orleans a young quarterback option to develop behind the scenes.
Via Mike Garafolo:
“The Saints trade into No. 127 to take Fresno State QB Jake Haener. That makes two Fresno QBs in New Orleans.”
Haener really made a name for himself in 2021, when he passed for over 4000 yards and 33 touchdowns in 13 games for Fresno State. Haener only played in ten games in 2022, and while he was never going to be a part of the top-tier of quarterbacks in this draft, it's clear that he has a lot of upside that New Orleans will be hoping to tap into.
Carr will obviously be New Orleans' Week 1 starter barring a complete catastrophe, but it's clear that Haener is someone the Saints view as a potential starter for them in the future. And of course, having another Fresno quarterback in Carr will be helpful for his development. As a result, it will be worth keeping an eye on Haener to see if he can make some strides that could help him become a starter in the future.
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