Iowa Native Hunter Dekkers Signs with NFL Team

In 2023, quarterback Hunter Dekkers made national headlines when he was among 35 Iowa Hawkeye and Iowa State Cyclones charged in an illegal sports gambling probe. The findings led to Dekkers and his four teammates being banned from the NCAA in any capacity.

Now, against all odds, Hunter Dekkers has found himself on an NFL roster, amidst a motley crew of quarterbacks, following the sudden retirement of a longtime veteran of the league.

One NFL Team Decided Dekkers Was Worth a Flier:

Last week, New Orleans Saints quarterback Derek Carr shocked the NFL world when he announced his retirement after 11 seasons. The Saints then became one of two teams, along with the Pittsburgh Steelers, to have one of the most uncertain QB rooms in the entire league.

On Tuesday, May 13th, the Saints announced that they signed former Iowa State quarterback Hunter Dekkers following a tryout at rookie minicamp this past weekend. After being forced to leave Iowa State at the end of 2022, Dekkers spent the 2023 completely absent from football. He then enrolled in Iowa Western Community College in 2024, where he played quarterback for the Reivers.

Dekkers threw for over 3,800 yards, tossed 32 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, and led the Reivers to an 11-2 campaign last season. The fact he made it to the NFL, after the controversy and subsequently going from the NCAA to a community college (usually it's the other way around) is nothing short of a miracle.

According to ESPN.com, over the course of three years, Dekkers made approximately 366 bets on a DraftKings account that was in his mother's name. One of the bets was a $15 win on the Iowa State football team in 2021 (a game in which he didn't play). He later plead guilty to a reduced charge of underage gambling:

I wasn't throwing games, I wasn't shaving points, and I would never do that. There was never any intent behind any of these bets. We weren't trying to make money. We were just treating it like a video game, in a sense [....] It was just a mistake that I made, and I have to live with it for the rest of my life - Hunter Dekkers, per NFL.com

Dekkers Joins a QB Room in Flux:

Hunter Dekkers, a native of Hawarden, IA, joins a Saints team that doesn't have a clear-cut starting quarterback. Currently on the roster is second-year quarterback Spencer Rattler, who started in relief of Carr last season; third-year quarterback Jake Haener, who was dismal in his lone star last season; and rookie second round pick Tyler Shough out of Louisville.

Dekkers' chances of making the roster are admittedly slim. At best, he lands on the Saints' practice squad. If I had to guess at the moment, I believe Shough wins the starting job and Rattler is named the backup quarterback. Either way, it doesn't appear the Saints are going anywhere quickly, but Dekkers landing on the team is a true shock in a Saints season that's early yet full of surprises.