This shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone who’s followed the New York Jets in recent years, but both Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty appear to be on their way out ahead of the 2018 NFL season.
Jordan Schultz of Yahoo Sports reports it’s “unlikely” Hackenberg is retained, noting Petty is also a release candidate.
I'm told it's "unlikely" the #Jets will retain Christian Hackenberg for a third season. There has also been speculation that the team will release Bryce Petty as well. Important to consider as Mike Maccagnan prepares to potentially take a QB in this draft.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 9, 2018
Hackenberg is the more notable player here, as just two years ago general manager Mike Maccagnan traded up into the second round to land the former Penn State product. At the time, most people who followed Hackenberg in college thought it was a huge overreach, and I personally wrote at the time that Hackenberg was doomed to fail in New York.
In the end, the Hackenberg experiment was a total bust. He’s more famous for his inability to play catch before games and for nailing a reporter in the head during practice than anything else. And not once did he ever manage to get into a regular-season game.
Now, the Jets are focused on bringing in a rookie to become the new face of the franchise, and they almost certainly will select a quarterback after trading up to No. 3 overall. With that in mind, there’s just no room for Hackenberg, who at this point is just a big reminder of past failures.