Haener, 25, did not want to disclose the type of cancer but described it as ‘rare’ for someone his age, though not ‘a life-threatening thing right now.’ He has a consultation scheduled for next Thursday to determine how long he can wait before taking next steps, which will include undergoing a procedure.
“It’s something that just popped up,’ said Haener, who first revealed the diagnosis when asked about a small bandage on his right cheek. ‘And I was kind of worried about it, my family was kind of worried about it. It was just this random odd-looking bump that kept growing. … It popped up, and we needed to go the dermatologist. They removed it, they did a biopsy on it, and it came back last week, right before camp, that it was a rare form of skin cancer for my age, like I said.’
Haener hopes to wait until the team returns from its training camp in Irvine, California, and completes the preseason to undergo the procedure, but he added 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.’
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A fourth-round pick out of Fresno State in 2023, Haener is competing with 2024 fifth-round pick Spencer Rattler to be starting quarterback Derek Carr’s primary backup.
Haener is the second Saints player to disclose a cancer diagnosis since last spring. After signing a three-year contract with New Orleans last offseason, tight end Foster Moreau revealed last March that he had Hodgkin lymphoma. In July, Moreau announced his cancer was in full remission.
