Iowa Native Hunter Dekkers Realizes NFL Dream, Lands with Saints

It has been a long and winding journey for Hawarden, Iowa native Hunter Dekkers.

His football career has been covered and followed with great interest from the moment he stepped foot on the campus of Iowa State, to the moment he stepped away from the team following a gambling investigation.

Dekkers has been in pursuit of a rebuild of his career and an NFL dream ever since, and that dream turned into a reality on Tuesday.

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Dekkers has reportedly earned his first professional opportunity, signing with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent after a tryout:

There couldn't be a better landing spot for a guy looking for an opportunity. The Saints just had the news over the weekend that longtime starter Derek Carr was retiring, leaving the door open to a competition between several youngsters on the roster.

Per The Des Moines Register:

The former West Sioux High School standout began his college football career with the Cyclones, throwing for 3,355 yards and 22 touchdowns across 19 games. He then left Iowa State and was ruled ineligible by the NCAA before landing at Iowa Western Community College in 2024.

Dekkers led the Reivers to an 11-2 record and the NJCAA Division I championship game, completing 288-of-449 passes (64.1%) for a school-record 3,806 yards and 32 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions.

Dekkers is now firmly entrenched in the quarterback competition in New Orleans. Other QBs currently on the roster include Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler, and Jake Haener.

Sources: Des Moines Register and Saints on Twitter