Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility
Haener Says Joining the Saints and Carr Is 'a Dream Come True'
Bill McEwen updated website photo 2024
By Bill McEwen, News Director
Published 2 years ago on
May 1, 2023

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

In what Fresno State’s Jake Haener says is a “dream come true,” the pass-slinging quarterback is headed to the New Orleans Saints.

The Saints traded up in the fourth round of the NFL draft to grab Haener with the 127th overall pick on Saturday.

Not only will Haener be in the same QB room as all-time Fresno State great Derek Carr, but his first NFL opportunity comes with the team he rooted for as a kid.

“The Saints were my childhood growing up because I loved watching No. 9 (Drew Brees) plays. It’s just so unbelievable,” Haener said at his introductory Saints news conference. “I literally wore Brees jerseys, I wore Saints beanies. Having the opportunity to go play in New Orleans is going to be a dream come true.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by jakehaener (@jakehaener)

As Haener further explained it, he wore No. 9 in high school and college in a tribute to Brees — his favorite QB — and he later broke down some of Brees’ 2019 game film with the future Hall of Famer, saintswire.com reported.

Haener said that Carr was one of the first to congratulate him on getting drafted by the Saints. He added that Carr was a “sounding board” for him throughout his college career.

“He told me that if I ever needed anything, he would be there for me,” Haener said of his relationship with Carr after he transferred to Fresno State from Washington.

The Saints will head into their 2023 season camp with Carr as the starter and former starter Jameis Winston as the No. 2 QB. Winston reworked his contract last month so that he could return to the Saints. That will give the Saints a year to evaluate Haener and prep him for the backup role should Winston leave at the end of the season.

New Orleans also has Taysom Hill, the tight end/QB/running back who has been highly productive as the NFL’s “Human Swiss Army Knife.”

Carr signed a four-year contract with the Saints worth up to $150 million in March. That move came after a messy divorce from the Las Vegas Raiders, with which he set many franchise passing records.

 

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

Will ‘Too Many Cooks’ Complicate LA’s Recovery From Deadly Fires?

DON'T MISS

Russia Has Released Detained American Teacher Marc Fogel, the White House Says

DON'T MISS

How Many People Watched This Year’s Super Bowl?

DON'T MISS

Owner Jed York says 49ers Will ‘Do Everything’ to Keep QB Brock Purdy

DON'T MISS

Israel Threatens to Restart War in Gaza if Hamas Doesn’t Release Hostages

DON'T MISS

Luka Doncic Makes a Winning Impression in Lakers Debut

DON'T MISS

Curry Explodes for 38 Points as New-Look Warriors Beat Bucks

DON'T MISS

Musk’s Efficiency Cuts Slash $900 Million from Federal Education Research Office

DON'T MISS

Visalia Chase of Stolen Vehicle Ends in Multi-Car Crash

DON'T MISS

Bulldogs Fall at Nevada. Are They Headed for Worst Season in Nearly 50 Years?

UP NEXT

Russia Has Released Detained American Teacher Marc Fogel, the White House Says

UP NEXT

How Many People Watched This Year’s Super Bowl?

UP NEXT

Owner Jed York says 49ers Will ‘Do Everything’ to Keep QB Brock Purdy

UP NEXT

Israel Threatens to Restart War in Gaza if Hamas Doesn’t Release Hostages

UP NEXT

Luka Doncic Makes a Winning Impression in Lakers Debut

UP NEXT

Curry Explodes for 38 Points as New-Look Warriors Beat Bucks

UP NEXT

Musk’s Efficiency Cuts Slash $900 Million from Federal Education Research Office

UP NEXT

Visalia Chase of Stolen Vehicle Ends in Multi-Car Crash

UP NEXT

Bulldogs Fall at Nevada. Are They Headed for Worst Season in Nearly 50 Years?

UP NEXT

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Jesse Armando Casares

Bill McEwen,
News Director
Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Owner Jed York says 49ers Will ‘Do Everything’ to Keep QB Brock Purdy

1 hour ago

Israel Threatens to Restart War in Gaza if Hamas Doesn’t Release Hostages

1 hour ago

Luka Doncic Makes a Winning Impression in Lakers Debut

2 hours ago

Curry Explodes for 38 Points as New-Look Warriors Beat Bucks

2 hours ago

Musk’s Efficiency Cuts Slash $900 Million from Federal Education Research Office

2 hours ago

Visalia Chase of Stolen Vehicle Ends in Multi-Car Crash

2 hours ago

Bulldogs Fall at Nevada. Are They Headed for Worst Season in Nearly 50 Years?

2 hours ago

Valley Crime Stoppers’ Most Wanted Person of the Day: Jesse Armando Casares

2 hours ago

Powell Says Fed ‘Well Positioned’ for the ‘Risks and Uncertainties’ That Lie Ahead

2 hours ago

Coca-Cola Reverses Sales Volume Slide, Sending Revenue up 6% in the Fourth Quarter

3 hours ago

Will ‘Too Many Cooks’ Complicate LA’s Recovery From Deadly Fires?

A proverb said to have arisen in 16th-century England postulates that “too many cooks spoil the broth.” When too many people are working on ...

25 minutes ago

Aerial View of Palisades Wildfire Destruction 2025
25 minutes ago

Will ‘Too Many Cooks’ Complicate LA’s Recovery From Deadly Fires?

President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II in the Oval Office at the White House, Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2025, in Washington. (AP/Alex Brandon)
34 minutes ago

Russia Has Released Detained American Teacher Marc Fogel, the White House Says

Jalen Hurts Post Super Bowl 59
52 minutes ago

How Many People Watched This Year’s Super Bowl?

1 hour ago

Owner Jed York says 49ers Will ‘Do Everything’ to Keep QB Brock Purdy

Displaced Palestinians make their way from central Gaza to their homes in the northern Gaza Strip, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025. (AP/Jehad Alshrafi)
1 hour ago

Israel Threatens to Restart War in Gaza if Hamas Doesn’t Release Hostages

Luka Doncic's Lakers Debut
2 hours ago

Luka Doncic Makes a Winning Impression in Lakers Debut

2 hours ago

Curry Explodes for 38 Points as New-Look Warriors Beat Bucks

2 hours ago

Musk’s Efficiency Cuts Slash $900 Million from Federal Education Research Office

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend