The Kansas City Chiefs know they have their starting quarterback defined in Patrick Mahomes. However, as he is still recovering from the ACL tear he suffered late in the season, they brought in a contingency plan in the name of a known player in the NFL.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Chiefs signed Jake Haener to their roster. He was a former fourth-round pick for the Saints but got relegated to the practice squad last season. Now that his contract expired, he will go to Kansas City to back up Patrick Mahomes.
Haener lost the Saints QB battle last season in New Orleans. Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough were given the starts ahead of him. Haener has only one career start in the NFL but has played in eight games total.
Haene’s signing might put another Chiefs QB on the market
Gardner Minshew was Patrick Mahomes’ backup but he also suffered a knee injury. However, Minshew’s contract expired and he is suited to go into free agency after Haener’s arrival. The Chiefs like Minshew, but he is a backup in the end. If Haener convinced them, that could directly mean the Chiefs won’t re-sign Minshew to a new contract. As of now, the only quarterbacks under Kansas City contracts are Mahomes, Haener and Chris Oladokun, who played for the last few games last season.
Haener’s numbers are very pedestrian. In his career he has a 46.2% completion, one touchdown, one interception and a QBR of 12.8 out 100. Haener is only 26 years old, but if he wants a future in the NFL, his development must be insanely fast. However, what better way to develop than under Andy Reid and sharing the locker room with Patrick Mahomes?
The Chiefs are making many moves on offense
The Chiefs brought back Eric Bieniemy and Andy Reid gave a big reminder over his impact. However, that’s not the only thing. The Chiefs are scouting or considering trades for running backs, trying to convince tight end Travis Kelce to run it back one more time and now, they are looking at contingency plans for Mahomes.
This is a team that is not used to miss the playoffs, so it is coming back with a vengeance, or at least that’s the plan. The Chiefs must be desperate to get back into winning ways, that is for sure.