Former UW Huskies QB diagnosed with cancer, remains at camp
Jul 28, 2024, 10:35 AM
Jake Haener of the New Orleans Saints rolls out looking for a receiver during a 2023 preseason game. (Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
(Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
BY
The Associated Press
IRVINE, Calif. (AP) — Jake Haener, who spent a season playing quarterback for the UW Huskies, is balancing a recent skin cancer diagnosis with his effort to secure a job backing up New Orleans Saints starter Derek Carr.
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Haener shared his diagnosis when he was asked about a small circular adhesive bandage on his right cheek.
The 25-year-old, second-year pro declined to share the specific diagnosis, but said he learned a little more than a week ago that he had a form of skin cancer which is rare for people his age.
“It’s kind of something that just popped up. I was kind of worried about it. My family was kind of worried about it. It was kind of this random bump,” Haener said.
The 2023 fourth-round draft choice saw a dermatologist, had the blemish removed and the biopsy produced a cancer diagnosis.
Haener, who has participated in the Saints’ first three practices of camp on the campus of the University of California at Irvine, said he is unsure about the extent to which his diagnosis will interfere with his football schedule.
He has an appointment on Aug. 1, after which doctors will decide a course of treatment and how long he might be able to delay that treatment if it would interfere with his NFL career.
“When things like that pop up, you’ve got to go take care of it,” Haener said. “My family was great. The (Saints’) training staff has been great about dealing with it with me.”
Haener is the second Saints player in two years to have a cancer diagnosis. Last summer, tight end Foster Moreau underwent treatment for Hodgkin’s lymphoma. His cancer was in full remission before training camp and he played in 15 games last season.
Haener sounded optimistic about his prospects for a full recovery.
“I’m OK mentally. It’s just something I’ve got to take care of and do the necessary steps,” Haener said. “I feel like I’m pretty young and healthy to be able to have something like that pop up, but I want to take care of it. I want to be responsible about it — obviously not make it a distraction because I’m going to be fine. … I don’t want to wait too long with something like this. I want to get it handled.”
Haener attempted 13 passes for the Huskies as the backup to Jake Browning in 2018. He then transferred to Fresno State, where he threw for 9,013 yards, 67 touchdowns and 17 interceptions in 29 games between 2020 and 2022. He finished fourth on Fresno State’s all-time passing yardage list.
Seattle Sports staff contributed to this post.
