New Orleans Saints Executive Vice President/General Manager Mickey Loomis announced that the club has signed defensive tackle Bryan Bresee and quarterback Jake Haener to four-year contracts.
Bresee was the Saints' first pick overall in the first round (29th overall) of the 2023 NFL Draft out of Clemson. The 6-2, 305-pound Damascus, Md. native started 21 of 26 games during his three seasons at Clemson and produced 54 tackles (35 solo), 15 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one forced fumble, one interception and five passes defensed to be named an All-Atlantic Coast Conference selection each year. In 2022, Bresee fought through injuries and personal tragedy to manage 16 tackles, 5.5 stops for loss, 3.5 sacks and two passes defensed for the ACC champions. In 2020, Bresee was selected as a consensus freshman All-American and first-team All-ACC honoree and as the conference's Defensive Rookie of the Year, when he was credited with 23 tackles (6.5 stops for loss), four sacks, two passes defensed, one forced fumble and one safety.
Haener, 6-1, 200, was the Saints' second of two fourth round draft picks (127th overall), selected out of Fresno State, where he finished as the school's all-time leader in completion percentage (68.1). In three seasons at Fresno, the Danville, Calif. native started 29 games and completed 731-of-1,072 passes for 9,013 yards, with 67 touchdowns and only 15 interceptions, while rushing for eight more TDs. Haener was a two-time All-Mountain West selection, winning 21 of his 29 starts and ranking in the top five for every major passing statistic in school history. In 2022, he completed 252-of-350 passes (school-record 72.0%) for 2,896 yards, 20 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He had six 300-yard passing games and at least one passing touchdown in each contest, extending a Mountain West Conference record streak to 29 games. Haener became the first Fresno State signal-caller to play in the Reese's Senior Bowl since Saints teammate Derek Carr and was named the postseason college all-star game's Most Valuable Player
