There wasn’t much downtime for Jake Haener after the 2023 NFL season, and he didn’t really need it. For the first time in a long time he didn’t take a single snap in a regular season game.
That’s just the life of a third string QB. But after two weeks of not throwing, it was right back to work, joining a group of other QBs in Tampa and working with former NFL coach and QB whisperer Jon Gruden. That 7-week program consisted of 5-6 training sessions a week, then a lifting program followed by 90 minutes to 2 hours of film study with Gruden. All of that was then translated into on-field work.
"The more I can learn, the more I can immerse myself, understanding defense, understanding his philosophy of coaching, as well, I think the better," Haener said. "So, just really trying to give myself every opportunity to give myself the best chance to perform well.”
Among the group in Tampa was Cowboys star QB Dak Prescott, whom the Saints will see in Week 2. That offseason work has contributed to the clear comfort level shown by Haener as he’s elevated to 2nd team reps for the first two sets of organized team activities.
Haener had a strong rookie campaign as well, but there’s no denying that he’s running Klint Kubiak’s scheme well and getting the ball to playmakers on time and on target, all this despite working into his second new system in as many years after the Saints traded up to take him in the 4th round of the 2023 draft.
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One benefit has been the relative simplicity of the scheme compared to what he picked up a year ago, which was originally designed for Drew Brees back in the mid 2000s. Coaches and players alike have addressed the terminology as simpler and faster, with the goal of players thinking less and playing faster on gamedays.
"It’s not what Drew did, so when they taught things to Drew in 2009 I wasn’t even 10 years old yet, and it made sense to Drew, but it might not make sense to Jake Haener in 2024, 15 years later," he said. "I think now it’s just kind of more of like, things make sense and there’s a rhyme and reason to things and you can learn things faster, quicker. So I feel really confident going through the huddle, calling things, knowing where they are, knowing the formations, knowing the plays and knowing the concepts and the reads with my footwork.”
It hasn’t all been smooth sailing for Haener in the pros, though. After a pair of strong showings in the 2023 preseason he lobbed multiple interceptions in a hard-luck finale, a game that always figured to be his last action barring injuries to both QBs in front of him. Not long after news dropped that been suspended for a positive test for a banned substance. With no scheduled playing time, the absence wasn’t a major blow to the team, but it did take away practice time and create a negative wind around the young player.
Fast forward to the offseason and the offensive coaching staff that championed Haener in the draft was almost entirely jettisoned, most notably OC Pete Carmichael and QBs coach Ronald Curry. The new staff, headlined by OC Klint Kubiak, had no claim to the choice of Haener in the draft and the Saints opted to pick Spencer Rattler in the 5th round, a player widely seen as having a high ceiling and the potential to have gone much earlier.
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Haener said he was unfazed. That’s the business he’s in.
“Spencer is great, but at the end of the day I don’t care who they draft," Haener said. "They’re gonna draft people to try to come replace me every year, it’s kind of really been the same story for me. I’ve always been the underdog, always had that mentality and I’ve just got to prove people wrong. If that’s you guys – great.”
Dennis Allen was complimentary of Haener’s showing after the first OTA practice.
"We’re not crowning anybody as we sit here on the first day of OTAs," Allen said. "You know, it’s Day 1 of a long, long, long evaluation process. And so, here’s the thing, the more of those positive days that you can put together, the more encouraging it is. And so we’ve just got to make sure we’re not riding the rollercoaster and the up and downs. Consistency is what we’re looking for.”
The competition for the Saints backup job is just getting started. When it comes to final cuts, the question will be twofold. Who will the backup be? Then: How many QBs to keep?
Haener has done his best so far to ensure he’s a prominent figure in both of those discussions.