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. The 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.
Six game P.E.D. suspension to begin your rookie year is…kind of rough.
Huh
He’s referring to Jake haener who received a 6 game suspension prior to even seeing the field. It’s in the above written article.
Oops didn’t see that haha
Carr has been remarkably durable during his career but the Saints QB depth chart comes close to rivaling the Patriots for weakest in the league.
How does Nathan Peterman get so many chances? No offense but that is a genuine question.
He sticks around a certain coaching staff who probably enjoy having him around during practice.
Peterman’s apparently very coachable and hard working. That’s likely why. I don’t hold that five INT performance in Buffalo really against him, seeing as he was called with almost no notice, but Peterman’s on field ability does have the propensity to hold fans on the edges of their seats for the wrong reasons.
He has nfl experience and probably a solid agent. That’s all you need to get paid and be on a roster, you’d be suprised
As a Saints fan, this is the most interesting backup QB battle the team has had in ages.
I think Rattler could be a very good back up in the league . I don’t know much about Jake . I would hope with two picks in the last couple of years they could find a quality depth piece .
For Fantasy Purposes I need Haener to beat out Rattler for that backup role…or he will immediately be dropped…if he wins he’s got a shot at a starting gig next year(possibly) and that all I can ask for picking him up on the waiver wire…