Saints sign former Raiders, Bears backup quarterback Nathan Peterman

Here’s a new contender to back up Derek Carr. The New Orleans Saints are signing Nathan Peterman to compete with Jake Haener as the No. 2 quarterback this season, per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill.  A fifth-round pick by the Buffalo Bills back in 2017, Peterman has attempted just 160 passes through six years in the NFL. He’s thrown 13 interceptions against 4 touchdowns while being sacked 12 times.

Peterman has a couple of connections to the team, having backed up Carr on the Raiders from 2018 to 2021 before spending the last two years on the Chicago Bears with current Saints quarterbacks coach Andrew Janocko. The Saints needed a veteran backup after losing Jameis Winston to the Cleveland Browns. They also took a look at Joe Flacco but he was snapped up quickly by the Indianapolis Colts.

The hope for the Saints is that Haener will come out of training camp looking like a superior option for the No. 2 spot behind Carr. They’ll have a serious problem on their hands if he can’t beat Peterman for the job. New Orleans traded their fourth-round pick in the 2024 draft so they could move up in 2023 to select Haener, envisioning him as a long-term backup to support Carr as the starter. Peterman is a challenge he must overcome.