Saints, Hunter Dekkers reunion possible following UFL season

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

By Ross Jackson

Although the New Orleans Saints signed veteran quarterback Zach Wilson, bringing another familiar face back to the quarterback room could still be in the cards.

The Saints at least have interest in bringing quarterback Hunter Dekkers back to New Orleans following the 2026 UFL season, LouisianaSports.Net has learned. Whether or not that reunion plays out will be up to several factors including health and additional interest.

Dekkers signed with the Saints as an undrafted free agent and impressed the staff throughout his early rookie minicamp and offseason showings. A shoulder injury landed him on the practice squad Injured Reserve list for the season, but his practice window was opened just before the season ended.

Although the Saints did not retain Dekkers on a reserve/future deal at the end of the year, it worked to both sides’ benefits.

The former Iowa State and Iowa Western signal caller was given a chance to gain more experience by signing with the UFL’s Houston Gamblers and, should he indeed return to New Orleans, the Saints can benefit from the growth of the quarterback upon his potential return.

Last year’s Saints’ quarterback room included a tight-knit group of young passers between starters Tyler Shough (Weeks 8-17) and Spencer Rattler (Weeks 1-7), 2023 draft pick Jake Haener, Dekkers and veteran passer Taysom Hill.

With Haener now signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and Hill’s future unknown, bringing back Dekkers would allow the Saints to maintain the majority of their 2025 quarterback room with another young face, Wilson, in the mix.

It does not appear that the Saints have much interest in letting Rattler depart, making a potential four-quarterback room going into Organized Team Activities soon after the NFL Draft.

In the Gamblers’ 17-36 loss to the Dallas Renegades in the UFL’s opening weekend, The 6-foot-1, 210-pound left-handed passer performed well. He completed 19 of his 29 passing attempts 65.5% for 227 passing yards in his debut.