NFL News: Saints’ potential QB speaks out on adding another veteran post-Derek Carr’s retirement

The New Orleans Saints are in a unique situation when it comes to their QB1. Derek Carr was clearly the choice until he decided to retire from the NFL this offseason. This left a team with little to no cap space in a dire situation. Now, they have three young, unproven QBs fighting for the starting spot.

One of them, Jake Haener, stirred the pot when speaking to Saints’ reporter Matthew Paras about the Saints needing a veteran QB. “I mean, what are you going to get from that?” Haener stated. He alluded that the team’s staff is full of former QBs and that’s enough for the young guys to learn.

“Those guys [on staff] are veterans, man. They’ve done it. They’ve been through it“. Haener also added that the QB room has “everything you need in terms of what to look for, what to ask, what to see. They’ve seen it all.“

Haener is competing with second-year QB Spencer Rattler and rookie Tyler Shough. According to the interview, he said that having former QBs like Kellen Moore (now the Saints’ HC), Doug Nussmeier, Scott Tolzien, and Scott Linehan is great. It allows the young QBs to have different perspectives and bring new ways to evolve.

Jake Haener #3 of the New Orleans Saints looks on during the game against the Tennessee Titans at Mercedes Benz Superdome on August 25, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

A not-so fierce competition to be the Saints’ starting QB

It’s not an understatement to say that the Saints might have the worst QB room in the entire NFL right now. After all, they mismanaged their cap space in recent years and suffered big retirements. First, future Hall-of-Famer Drew Brees retired in 2020 after more than 15 years of service.

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Then, they tried an awful mix of Jameis Winston, Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill in 2021. Somehow, Sean Payton managed to coach the team into a 9-8 record. But then Payton also retired (for a year). In 2022, it was the ‘Red Rifle’ Andy Dalton who emerged as the signal-caller. A year later, the Saints signed Derek Carr, an established veteran QB to take the mantle. Injuries didn’t respect him, hence his early retirement.

So now that leaves the Saints with Jake Haener, Spencer Rattler and Tyler Shough. Between Rattler and Haener, they have a combined record of 0-7 in the NFL. None of them boast a decent completion percentage, as Rattler’s is 57% and Haener’s is an abysmal 46.2%. The two of them combined for 5 TDs and 6 INTs. And as for Shough, well, he was taken in the second round of this year’s draft, but wasn’t a top prospect at all.

Saints reporter Luke Johnson stated that Shough “can absolutely spin it“. It’s been reported that Shough has impressed more than his colleagues. The doubt is whether his offseason impressions can translate to full-gear competition.