Derek Carr will be expected to improve on his debut Saints campaign under new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak in 2024. New Orleans does not have Jameis Winston in place anymore, though, so the question of who will serve as his backup remains unanswered.
Winston – who has spoken about his desire to regain a starting opportunity in the NFL – took a deal with the Browns this offseason which has him on track to back up Deshaun Watson. New Orleans still has Swiss Army knife Taysom Hill in the fold, but the team has used the past two drafts to add true signal-callers. Jake Haener (fourth round, 2023) and Spencer Rattler (fifth round, 2024) are set to to compete for the QB2 role this summer.
Both quarterbacks rotated between the second- and third-team offense this spring, as noted by ESPN’s Katherine Terrell. She adds, though, that Haener received the majority of backup reps, leaving Rattler in place for the third-string role as things stand. Head coach Dennis Allen confirmed (via Terrell) the pecking order will be decided during training camp.
Haener did not see the field during his rookie season, one which began with a six-game PED suspension. The Fresno State product remains under team control for three more years via his rookie contract, giving him plenty of time to develop into at least a consistent backup option. He noted the change to Kubiak and a new scheme has allowed him to take a step forward compared to 2023, although that progress will be tested during padded practices in the summer.
Rattler’s college career began with a stellar redshirt freshman season at Oklahoma, but his downturn in play (and the arrival of Caleb Williams) the following year led to a transfer. Th 23-year-old’s South Carolina performances did not put him back on the Day 1 draft radar, and he witnessed a massive gap between the sixth quarterback (Bo Nix, No. 12 overall) being selected and his addition by the Saints at No. 150. Still, Rattler’s upside could help him ascend to the role of Carr’s understudy as early as his rookie campaign.
New Orleans also has veteran Nathan Peterman in the fold, although Terrell notes he is a practice squad candidate given the term on Haener and Rattler’s respective deals. The latter two do not have a path to a starting role in 2024, but Carr’s contract contains a potential out in March 2025. His performance will therefore be a key storyline come the fall; before that point, it will be interesting to see who claims the backup gig.
