Saints backup QB Haener has rare skin cancer

IRVINE, Calif. — New Orleans Saints backup quarterback Jake Haener said he’s been diagnosed with skin cancer.

The 25-year-old player did not disclose what type of cancer he has but said that it’s rare to see it at his age.

“It’s not going be like a life-threatening thing right now,” said Haener, who was sporting a small bandage on his face during Friday’s practice session.

Haener said he will have a consultation with doctors Thursday of next week to determine the next steps.

“I have to get a different procedure done on my face,” he said. “So we’re just trying to take the necessary steps in order to see how long I can wait until I have to get that procedure done.”

Haener said he first noticed something was wrong when an “odd-looking bump” formed on his face and continued to grow. A biopsy done the week before camp revealed that it was cancerous.

“I was kind of worried about it; my family was kind of worried about it,” he said.

Haener said the only concern is waiting too long to do the necessary procedure and possibly allowing the cancer to spread.

“With these skin cancer things, if you wait, things spread, so I’ve just got to get it taken care of,” he said.

Haener is the second Saints player to be diagnosed with a form of cancer in the past year. Tight end Foster Moreau signed with the team in free agency last year after a team physical revealed signs of Hodgkin lymphoma. Moreau, 27, announced last July that he was in full remission after he went through treatment after the initial diagnosis in March 2023.

“I feel like I’m pretty young and healthy to be able to have something like that pop up,” Haener said. “But I want to take care of it and be responsible about it, obviously not make it a distraction because I’m going to be fine, everything’s going to be taken care of.”

Haener is currently battling rookie Spencer Rattler for the backup quarterback spot behind Derek Carr. The Saints had their third practice of training camp Friday, and Haener has been a full participant in all of them.

Starting cornerback Marshon Lattimore left Friday’s practice early with a hip flexor issue, according to New Orleans coach Dennis Allen.