The New Orleans Saints have made the decision to start second-year quarterback Jake Haener against the Washington Commanders this coming Sunday, according to a source who discussed the matter confidentially.
The news, first reported by the New Orleans Football website, suggests that the team believes starter Derek Carr is too injured to participate in this week’s game.

Carr suffered a concussion and also injured his non-throwing hand during the Saints’ narrow 14-11 win against the New York Giants last Sunday.
On Wednesday, interim head coach Darren Rizzi indicated that there was still a possibility for Carr to clear the NFL’s concussion protocol and attempt to play through his hand injury.
Rizzi noted that Carr would require no surgery and that his playing condition would be evaluated on a weekly basis for the rest of the season.

However, Carr did not participate in practice on either Wednesday or Thursday. During this time, Haener and rookie Spencer Rattler took turns getting first-team practice reps.
Haener was selected in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Fresno State and is set to make his NFL starting debut this weekend.
Throughout seven appearances this season, he has thrown for 177 yards and one touchdown without any interceptions.

As for Rattler, the fifth-round draft pick from South Carolina has accumulated 571 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions in three starts during Carr’s absence due to an oblique injury earlier in the season.
The Saints, now standing at 5-8, are still in the hunt for a playoff spot after managing to win three out of their last four games under Rizzi, who has stepped in as head coach after Dennis Allen was let go following a particularly rough stretch that saw the team lose seven consecutive games from Week 3 to Week 9.

The opposing Washington Commanders hold an 8-5 record and are in the hunt for a postseason place themselves, while the Saints have struggled against teams with favorable winning records this year.