IRVINE, Calif. – Andrew Janocko was a little disappointed.
The New Orleans Saints quarterback coach believed he had the perfect image to describe the approach to Thursday’s practice. He was excited to set the tone for a workout heavy on situational work, challenging his defenders in the red zone and in two-minute scenarios before they hit preseason camp days later.
So Janocko told 2014 second-rounder Derek Carr, 2023 fourth-rounder Jake Haener, and 2024 fifth-rounder Spencer Rattler that this would be his “Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man look.”
“A ‘Ghostbusters’ reference that neither Spencer nor Jake understood when I said it today because they haven’t seen the original ‘Ghostbusters,'” Janocko told Yahoo Sports before practice. “We had to watch the clip of the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man appearing to try and destroy New York City.”
Janocko’s idea was a good one: turn the attitude of the day into a picture in the minds of his defenders, just as they routinely turn playbook concepts into digestible visualizations.
But his failure to initially resonate suited the 25- and 23-year-olds the Saints are banking on at quarterback. Because neither Haener nor Rattler represent the past. For New Orleans, they don’t even represent the present.
Instead, as each battles for the second spot on the depth chart behind Carr, Saints coaches and executives are asking themselves: Could either player be the future of their franchise?
Only three teams have selected a quarterback in each of the last two NFL drafts. The Minnesota Vikings drafted Jaren Hall in the 2023 fifth round, ahead of JJ McCarthy this year in the first, creating a clear pecking order. The Green Bay Packers drafted Sean Clifford fifth last year and Michael Pratt seventh last spring, a chance to develop amid starter Jordan Love’s transition to franchise tackle.
Then there’s New Orleans, which now faces two developmental prospects behind a clearly established but aging quarterback entering his 11th year.
What could happen?
“We’re chasing that ‘two’ spot, right?” Haener told Yahoo Sports. “We both really want this. We both really want to have this opportunity. I don’t like trying to predict the future, but Derek is getting older.”
“These two spots…give you an upward path to have the opportunity to one day potentially have the opportunity to be a starter.”
Why did the Saints draft quarterbacks in consecutive years?
Three possible outcomes await Haener and Rattler.
They can blow up, a result that happens to quarterbacks every year, no matter how hard they work to avoid it.
They could establish themselves as quality reserves, with the Saints determining that either player (or both) is solid enough to keep the team afloat in the event of an early injury. A team may not win why of the quarterback, but they could win with the quarterback, the reasoning goes.
Then there’s the chance Haener and/or Rattler prove they’re capable of starting. It would be fair to describe this result as exceeding expectations.
NFL executives tend to view fourth- and fifth-round quarterback selections as projects they hope will become starters but be useful backups. They are realistic about the floor that each player’s athletic ability and resume reflects, while hoping that an excellent coaching staff and a dose of luck can change that fortune.
“You can pick a quarterback every year just by rolling the dice,” one executive told Yahoo Sports. “Aren’t you looking at any of these guys before they [develop] and saying, ‘This guy is going to be the future.’
“If you had that much conviction that they were a future star, they wouldn’t be available.”
By Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man standards, Haener and Rattler have stated their case in recent practices.
Each was successful on two-minute trips. When the defense was down three points in the end zone on Thursday, Haener went through his progressions and saw his initial target covered in the backside flat. Then Haener extended the play, rolling to his right as he saw wide receiver Samson Nacua running a deep dagger route. Anticipating Nacua’s angle, Haener pushed a ball into the window for Nacua to catch and score.
Just three days earlier, Rattler had worked his own two-minute magic when he was pressed into the pocket and disappeared. His first and second readings were unavailable, so he quickly moved on to the third. Mason Tipton helped clear the way for fellow receiver Cedrick Wilson Jr. to find space on a deep slant. Touchdown, offense.
The result of the plays was the same. The path to get there, including the quarterback approach, was different. Saints coaches and executives looked at each one and asked themselves: Which set of work will best ensure success?
When the Saints drafted Haener 127th overall out of Fresno State, they saw a high-energy player who read defenses well to make strong decisions as he grew throughout his one year in Washington and then three with the Bulldogs.
Haener threw 53 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his final two seasons at Fresno State. He continued to value ball security in New Orleans, both while navigating Pete Carmichael’s offensive system last year and new coordinator Klint Kubiak.
Haener believes in his ability to start in this league, but understood when the Saints drafted Rattler that no amount of playing experience in 2023, combined with a six-game suspension for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, would not guarantee a roster spot. .
“I’d be surprised if they drafted a guy in the first two or three rounds, but you draft a guy in the fifth round to compete with a fourth-round pick, I think that’s pretty logical,” Haener said. “You free yourself [former backup Jameis Winston] and we have a 1st year young man going into 2nd year who didn’t do anything. You want to see: Hey, can this guy handle it or can this new guy come in and get better?
“It’s a competitive league and it’s only going to make me better in the long run.”
Rattler arrives after three seasons at Oklahoma and two at South Carolina. Saints brass hoped he could go as early as the third round of the draft and thus jumped to the value they believed he offered in the fifth.
The organization views Rattler’s physical tools as more promising than Haener’s, Rattler’s arm talent impresses them more than his athleticism. As Rattler practices, the Saints wonder: Is he leveraging his arm talent to make timely decisions or is he allowing overconfidence to pave the way for mistakes?
The team involved in Winston’s high-risk, high-reward proposition features Rattler, whose resume spans from a 28-7 touchdown-to-interception year at Oklahoma in 2020 to a 19-8 season last fall at South Carolina.
What has he been emphasizing this offseason?
“Footwork, fake steps, little punch steps on your drop, not getting too deep, keeping that circle in the pocket, not engaging too much,” Rattler said. “Small things that can result in negative plays.
“You have to control it and avoid it.”
When will Haener or Rattler be able to take the reins?
At this stage, it’s fair to say that Rattler has the advantage to eventually start.
This does not mean that he has an advantage in the race for the runner-up role in 2024.
And a lot could change as they compete in preseason games and a joint practice against the San Francisco 49ers next week.
The Saints’ initial preseason depth chart lists Haener as a second-team quarterback and Rattler as a third-team quarterback.
New Orleans hopes its quarterback questions are limited to the backup position this year. Carr is entering the second year of his four-year, $150 million contract and has played better than the club’s 9-8 record reflects.
The veteran’s 97.7 passer rating ranked 10th in the league, with Carr efficient with a 68.4% completion rate for 3,878 yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
One more season in that direction, and Carr would be the favorite to start for the Saints in 2025.
If injury or performance dictate otherwise, the Saints will have to decide whether to release Carr for a cap hit of $50.1 million before June 1 or $21.5 million after.
If Carr plays well, but Haener or Rattler also convinces New Orleans that the youth movement is ready to take over, the Saints could, in theory, trade Carr and reduce their cap hit to $40.1 million before June or $11.5 million later.
One step at a time.
But Rattler and Haener understand what’s at stake.
“It all starts with Derek,” Rattler said. “I push him, he pushes me and Jake too. I love being here competing with our guys.”
Haener agrees, knowing after a gameless rookie year that he can’t predict when his opportunity will come.
“You can’t say. ‘Oh, I’m only in year 1, year 2’ [because] this might be his only chance in that organization or in the league,” Haener said. “At the end of the day, I just want to be prepared – and let go.”
