Just before the start of the New Orleans Saints training camp, former Washington Huskies quarterback Jake Haener received some unfortunate medical news. The 25-year-old was diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer which isn’t considered to be life-threatening, and will undergo a procedure in early August that is expected to help prevent the disease from spreading further.
“It’s something that just popped up,” Haener told members of the media. “And I was kind of worried about it, my family was kind of worried about it. It was just this random odd-looking bump.”
Originally a three-star prospect from Monte Vista High School in Danville, California, Haener committed to Chris Petersen’s 2017 recruiting class. He played in four games during the 2018 season, completing 9 of his 13 pass attempts for 107 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception while backing up Jake Browning.
He competed for the starting job in the summer of 2019 following Browning’s graduation but lost to Georgia transfer Jacob Eason. Haener decided to transfer to Fresno State, where he spent two years as the starter under coach Kalen DeBoer and offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb.
The Saints selected him in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft and spent his rookie season as the backup to Derek Carr, who played in all 17 games despite dealing with various injuries. In 2024, New Orleans selected South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler in the fifth round to compete with Haener for the backup job but before he worries about his NFL career, he’s focused on his health.
“With these skin cancer things, if you wait, things spread,” he said. “So I’ve just gotta get it taken care of.”