Christian Hackenberg, who was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, says the team had "no plan" for quarterbacks. Hackenberg never played in a regular-season game for the Jets and was traded away after two seasons.
Christian Hackenberg, who was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft, says the team had "no plan" for quarterbacks.
Hackenberg, who was considered one of the top quarterback prospects in the country coming out of Penn State, never played in a regular-season game for the Jets and was traded away after two seasons.
In an interview with the "Ross Tucker Football Podcast" on Wednesday, Hackenberg said that the Jets had "no plan" for him when he was with the team.
"New York was probably the last place I should’ve gone, in terms of the market, the expectations, the way it was," Hackenberg said. "In my rookie year, we ended up keeping four quarterbacks (Geno Smith, Ryan Fitzpatrick and 2015 fourth-rounder Bryce Petty). So there was just not a lot of opportunity for me to develop and grow.
"No plan, kind of an up-and-down organization. And I think it was just one of those things where the timing and where it ended up just wasn’t in the cards for me at that position."
The Jets have a long history of struggling to develop quarterbacks. Since 2000, the team has taken seven quarterbacks in either the first or second round. Chad Pennington, the 18th pick in 2000, is probably the best of the bunch that also included Mark Sanchez, Kellen Clemens, Geno Smith, Christian Hackenberg, Sam Darnold, and Zach Wilson.
Hackenberg's comments are the latest in a long line of criticism from former Jets quarterbacks. Sanchez, Smith, and Darnold have all spoken out about the team's lack of a plan at the position.
The Jets have not made the playoffs since 2010. The team's current quarterback is Zach Wilson, who was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Wilson struggled mightily in his rookie season, throwing for just nine touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
The Jets are hoping that Wilson can take a step forward in his second season. However, the team's history of struggling to develop quarterbacks is not a good sign.
Here are some additional quotes from Hackenberg's interview:
* "I think it was just one of those things where the timing and where it ended up just wasn’t in the cards for me at that position."
* "There’s so many circumstances that go into it. And when I came out, I still knew that I needed a lot that I needed to get better at."
* "But, at the same token, I also had all these expectations and the narrative out there that this kid was going to be good. It was just this really kind of battle internally and then externally with messaging and how things were being portrayed that I had to deal with."
