Insider Suggests The San Francisco 49ers Sign QB With Bay Area, Fresno State Ties

On Tuesday August 26, 2025, longtime San Francisco 49ers insider Matt Maiocco suggested the Niners sign quarterback Jake Haener after they recently cut both their third and fourth string QBs, Tanner Mordecai and Carter Bradley. 

Haener, 26, was just cut loose by the team that drafted him, the New Orleans Saints. 

“The 49ers will be adding a third quarterback in the coming days (most likely for the practice squad)” Maiocco wrote in a post on X. “The 49ers’ only two QBs are Brock Purdy and Mac Jones.” 

“Just throwing it out there…Jake Haener?” he wrote in a follow-up post. 

Haener Grew Up In Danville, Starred At Fresno State

Jake Haener was born and raised in Danville, California, and attended Monte Vista High School in Danville.

Haener is the best quarterback in Monte Vista program history. He threw for 8,464 career yards and a school record 90 touchdowns. 

Initially, Haener committed to the University of Washington to continue his college football career. 

But after throwing only 13 passes in two seasons for the Huskies, Haener headed to Fresno State for his final three years of eligibility. 

Haener ended up becoming one of the most beloved players in Fresno State history, especially because of his 2021 season. 

As a redshirt junior in 2021, Haener started all 13 games for the Bulldogs and threw for 4,096 yards and 33 touchdowns. He also led the Bulldogs to two ranked road victories for the first time in program history. 

The most epic win of his career came on September 18, 2021 against #13 UCLA. Haener threw for a whopping 455 yards and two touchdowns. He also led a dramatic game winning drive to upset the No. 13 ranked Bruins in the Rose Bowl. 

An injury against USC hampered his 2022 season. But he had great numbers when he played and led Fresno State to a dominant 29-6 LA Bowl win against future #1 pick Cam Ward and the Washington State Cougars. 

Northern California football fans still love Haener. Many Fresno State football fans are also 49ers fans, and they would be thrilled to see Haener suit up for the 49ers. 

Haener’s NFL Experience 

Haener was drafted in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft by the Saints. 

He saw very limited action in his two seasons in NOLA. But he did appear in 8 games and make 1 start in 2024. 

Overall, he’s completed 18 of 39 passes in his NFL career for 226 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception. 

In the 2025 preseason, Haener completed 10 of 17 passes for 78 yards with no touchdowns and 1 interception. Not enough for the Saints to keep him around despite only having inexperienced quarterbacks such as Tyler Shough and Spencer Rattler on their roster. 

Heading to San Francisco could be a good reset for Haener. He’d get a chance to learn under Kyle Shanahan, Brock Purdy and Mac Jones, and have the support of the hometown fans. 

Plus, despite his limited NFL experience, he still is a clear and immediate upgrade over Tanner Mordecai and Carter Bradley. The 49ers were clearly not sold on Mordecai or Bradley, given how many times they cut and brought back both of them. 

49ers fans, do you want to see Jake Haener come back home to the Bay Area? 

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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports

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