This is really cool. Jake Haener is joining the New Orleans Saints with a great appreciation for the opportunity in front of him, having already spoken with the quarterback he’s backing up — Derek Carr was one of the first people to congratulate him on being drafted, and he said the Fresno State legend has been a “sounding board” for him during his college career.
He’s also a big fan of Drew Brees, having worn the same jersey number in college. Haener added that he and Brees studied some of the Saints’ 2019 offensive game tape together before. Like Brees, he’s an undersized athlete and a very accurate passer who processes action quickly after the snap, so it makes sense to model his game off of one of the best quarterbacks of all time.
Haener isn’t going to become the next Brees, but he might be the next Brock Purdy. If he plays his cards right and works on some flaws in his game, he might be the next mid-round quarterback to eventually win a starting job like Kirk Cousins or Dak Prescott. But for now he just needs to focus on being the best pro he can be at the bottom of the Saints depth chart.
