The New Orleans Saints are officially in the offseason mode. Which means lots of paperwork, and roster churning, as the front office starts looking ahead to the 2026 season. While the Saints are all watching the playoffs from home this year, the coaches and front office staff are busy signing players to reserve/future contracts to fill out the 90-man roster for camp. This is usually pretty boring stuff involving practice squad guys you probably forgot about, but there was one glaring omission from the list that is catching some attention.

Among the names released into the wild of free agency is a former starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints…yeah you heard me right. The team has decided not to bring back a signal caller who was technically QB1 for this franchise in recent memory.

While the team locks up other young talent for the future, this specific passer is hitting the open market and looking for a new home.

The “Starter” Hitting Free Agency Is Jake Haener

You might not remember him as ‘Saints Starting quarterback Jake Haener’, but it is technically true. If you recall, Haener actually started one single game back in the 2024 season against Washington, during a weird stretch in December. That one Sunday afternoon technically puts him in the history books as a starting quarterback for the New Orleans Saints, joining the likes of Brees, Brooks, and… well, Ian Book.

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Jake Haener is officially a free agent after his contract expired without an extension.

It looks like the Dennis Allen drafted project is finally over, as Kellen Moore’s current staff is moving forward with other options in the quarterback room. Haener spent most of his three years here holding a clipboard, or bouncing around the roster, but he never quite solidified that QB2 role they hoped he would snag. With the team signing other guys to future deals, and letting Haener walk, it signals they are comfortable riding with the current room…or looking elsewhere (like the Draft) for camp arms.

A Quick Look At The Haener Era In New Orleans

The Saints originally snagged the Fresno State product in the Fourth Round of the 2023 NFL Draft, with hopes he could develop into a reliable backup…or maybe more. His time in New Orleans was pretty quiet…finishing his Saints career with just that one start, 226 passing yards, and a single touchdown pass to his name. It is not exactly the stuff legends are made of, but he stuck around longer than a lot of fourth-round picks do in this league.

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images

Now Haener heads to the open market looking to catch on with a team that needs a smart kid who can digest a playbook quickly.

If nothing else happens in his NFL career, Haener will always serve as a trivia answer as one of the starting quarterbacks in Saints franchise history.

Every Saints First Round NFL Draft Trade Since 2010