Jake Haener, former Fresno State and UW quarterback, met with the press at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

Ex-Husky QB Haener Deals with Skin Cancer Diagnosis

Originally posted on Washington Huskies on SI
By Dan Raley | Last updated Jul 27, 2024 2:26 PM ET

It began as a small bump on his right cheek that kept growing. The odd-shaped blemish finally forced Jake Haener, the former Fresno State and Washington quarterback now seeking a roster spot with the NFL's New Orleans Saints, to seek medical attention.

The diagnosis was more than a little disconcerting for the 25-year old rookie: Haener was told it was a rare form of skin cancer, especially for someone his age.

“It’s something that just popped up," said Haener, who wore a small bandage on his right cheek at Saints training camp. "And I was kind of worried about it, my family was kind of worried about it. It was just this random odd-looking bump."

Haener met with a dermatologist, who conducted a biopsy. The results came back last week, on the eve of training camp. The verdict was concerning.

Former Bulldog QB Jake Haener says that he has been diagnosed with a rare form of skin cancer. It’s not considered life-threatening at this time, and he is working with doctors on a treatment plan in the upcoming weeks.

Sending our thoughts and prayers to Jake Haener pic.twitter.com/aDq3VpaDQ4
— Sidelines - FresnoState (@SSN_FresnoState) July 26, 2024

Haener said he was told the cancer was not life-threatening. He has a medical consultation scheduled next Thursday to determine next steps, which will he said include some sort of preventative procedure in August.

He's currently competing for the Saints' back-up job with Spencer Rattler, a fellow rookie from South Carolina who previously played at Oklahoma. Haener was New Orleans' fourth-round draft pick. Rattler the fifth-rounder.

A Danville, California, product, Haener spent two seasons at the UW. He redshirted in 2017, played in four games in 2018 and transferred to Fresno State once he lost the starting job to Jacob Eason in competition leading up to the 2019 season.

He resurrected his career with two solid seasons playing for Kalen DeBoer at Fresno State and nearly followed the coach back to the UW before finishing up with the Mountain West team. DeBoer spoke about Haener on the day he was introduced as the Husky coach, indicating the decision on where he played next would be the quarterback's alone.

The quarterback hopes to wait until his NFL team returns from its preseason training camp in Irvine, California, and completes the exhibition schedule before undergoing an unspecified procedure on his face. Still, he wants to be proactive.

"With these skin cancer things, if you wait, things spread," Haener said. "So I've just gotta get it taken care of."

This article first appeared on Washington Huskies on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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