Sportsnaut
The New Orleans Saints started the summer with first-year head coach Kellen Moore declaring that three quarterbacks were competing for the starting job. Of course, this opportunity opened up after Derek Carr retired following a lingering shoulder injury.
Three entered the competition, but now one has been cut from the team. Not only will he not be the Saints’ starter, they apparently don’t even want him to be one of their backups either.
According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the Saints are moving on from Jake Haener.
Haener’s release doesn’t necessarily come as a surprise. After ceding more first-string snaps to rookie second-round pick Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler, Haener wasn’t a frontrunner for the starting job.
Still, seeing Moore quickly move on from Haener, a fourth-round pick from the 2023 NFL Draft, is certainly notable. However, current Saints general manager Mickey Loomis was the top decision-maker in the draft room when Haener was selected, so seeing them move on so quickly suggests that Moore, a QB specialist, wasn’t impressed with the 6-foot-1, 26-year-old.
Of course, it’s possible the Saints bring Haener back to the practice squad, but this move shows that New Orleans is willing to let other teams take a chance on him too.
Meanwhile, the Saints have yet to name a starting quarterback for the 2025 season. It could be Rattler, who started and lost six games last season despite being a rookie fifth-round pick. If so, he’ll get a chance to learn from his first-year mistakes while continuing to build chemistry with his receivers.
Yet, there’s also a possibility that Moore moves forward with Shough, who may have been his hand-picked choice to be the next Saints QB. Interestingly enough, despite being a rookie, Shough is actually one year older than Rattler. So while he has zero NFL experience, he brings 26 starts from college to the table.
Ultimately, Moore will decide on who he feels is most equipped to get the most wins as possible in what’s expected to once again be a competitive NFC South division. We should get an answer in the next week, if not sooner.
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