Report: New Orleans Saints QB Jake Haener suffers oblique strain, expected to miss remainder of OTAs

On Wednesday, New Orleans Saints quarterback Jake Haener suffered an oblique strain at the end of practice, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The injury is expected to sideline Haener for “a couple of weeks.”

Haener will likely miss the remainder of the Saints’ OTAs, but is expected to be ready for the start of training camp. In the wake of quarterback Derek Carr‘s unexpected retirement, Haener is competing for the Saints’ QB1 title against 2024 fourth-round pick Spencer Rattler and 2025 second-round pick Tyler Shough.

Haener played in eight games last season, including one start. He completed 18-of-his-39 pass attempts for 226 yards and a touchdown. He also threw an interception. Haener recorded 11 carries for 22 rushing yards.

Despite being the younger quarterback, Rattler boasts more experience. He completed 130-of-his-228 pass attempts last season for 1,317 yards and four touchdowns, while throwing five interceptions. Obviously, Shough has no NFL experience.

Nonetheless, the Louisville QB isn’t backing down from the competition for the starting spot. Though he wouldn’t have minded being a backup for Derek Carr.

“That’s all you can ask for is an opportunity, at any position,” Shough said, per NFL.com. “And I’m going to treat it the same way, as if whoever is on the roster, I’ve got to continue to grow and get better and do my best to elevate the QB room and the team. For me, I was going to come in regardless of him being here or not and try and continue to grow.

“I think he’s been such a high-level player for so long, I think it would be a great opportunity to learn from him. It’s also a great opportunity to grow myself and be on this team with a lot of great coaches and guys on the team that we have already. I’m just excited for what’s forward and the rest of our offseason.”

Of course, Shough isn’t the only one who has an impressive collegiate résumé. Haener played one season at Washington before transferring to Fresno State, where he spent three years.

Haener finished his collegiate career with 9,120 passing yards and 76 total touchdowns, compared to just 18 interceptions. He was a two-time All-Mountain West selection. After being drafted in 2023, Haener signed a four-year, $4,544,814 rookie contract that includes a $704,814 signing bonus.