Christian Hackenberg, who really is capable of breaking a huddle, was traded this afternoon from the Jets to the Raiders, somehow.
The Jets’ list of second-round busts in this decade includes Vlad Ducasse, Stephen Hill, Geno Smith, Jace Amaro, and Devin Smith. But Hackenberg is truly in a category all his own. He didn’t play a single snap during his two seasons with the Jets, even as the team twice finished 5-11 while holding a roster spot for him, and even as then-offensive coordinator John Morton once copped to completely giving up during the fourth quarter of a loss.
Hackenberg’s fate with the Jets was basically sealed this offseason when the team re-signed Josh McCown and added Teddy Bridgewater before drafting Sam Darnold with the third overall pick. Today, during the first OTA session of the spring that was open to reporters, Hackenberg was held out of practice, reportedly because the trade was in motion. Afterward, the QB appeared to take a bit of a swipe at the Jets—
—though he walked that back a bit:
During his time with the Jets, Hackenberg had the distinction of completing more passes to reporters than to teammates. The Raiders agreed to give up a conditional seventh-round pick in return. No word if that pick is dependent upon the league adding an eighth round.