It had to be hard for Christian Hackenberg to swallow resorting to being an Alliance of American Football quarterback to try to reclaim his professional career.
It has to be harder for Christian Hackenberg to swallow resorting to being an Alliance of American Football backup.
The 2016 second-round pick by the Jets has lost his starting spot with the Memphis Express, usurped by Zach Mettenberger by halftime of the season’s third game.
Coach Mike Singletary made the switch official Monday, just a week after he said the team would have to be patient with Hackenberg as he picked up the offense. That never happened, with the 24-year-old going 32-of-62 for 277 yards, three interceptions and no touchdowns in two and a half games — all of which were Memphis losses. Mettenberger relieved Hackenberg last weekend, in an eventual 21-17 loss to Orlando, and greatly outplayed Hackenberg, going 9-of-12 for 120 yards and two touchdowns.
Hackenberg has never seen the field in an NFL game, as even the 2017 Jets, who finished 5-11, did not see the need to put him on the field. After two failed seasons, the Jets shipped Hackenberg to Oakland, beginning a long string of NFL teams taking a chance on him, and NFL teams giving up on him.
The former Penn State star hoped the AAF would be his avenue toward resurrecting his career. That doesn’t appear to be in the cards.