What happens now with Christian Hackenberg and the Jets?

The New York Jets have stocked up on quarterbacks this offseason and will likely add another via the 2018 NFL Draft. What happens to Christian Hackenberg if that ends up happening? Expect one last hurrah.

At this point in time, the New York Jets are all in on finally addressing their quarterback situation once for all. They’re so serious about selecting a future franchise quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft that they made a blockbuster trade to move up from the No. 6 overall pick to No. 3.

Ideally, the Jets are going to draft a quarterback with the No. 3 overall pick and likely develop them the right way. Regardless which quarterback out of the Big 4 it is, they’ll be given more than enough time to be properly coached, trained, and developed until it’s their time to start a new era from under center.

In this scenario, what happens now with Christian Hackenberg once the Jets draft another young quarterback into the organization? In the grand scheme of things, he’ll most likely have one last hurrah to prove himself if he’s worth keeping around.

Don’t expect the Jets to keep Bryce Petty around since they undoubtedly know he’s not in the long-term plans of the franchise. Considering that Hackenberg is still one big question mark since he’s never played a single snap in a regular season game, it has at least earned him one final opportunity to compete in training camp.

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Could the Jets cut Hackenberg at some point this offseason since they already have Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater, and a newly drafted quarterback about to come in as the main blueprint for 2018? It’s not likely until they at least see if he’s capable of showing some kind of improvement once training camp arrives and another quarterback competition to finalize the depth chart.

If Hackenberg continues to play poorly in training camp and still shows no signs of progress, he’ll likely be released before the start of the regular season. Anything can and will happen during training camp and one never knows if an injury or a severe decline in play can hit a quarterback. If things don’t end up working out with Bridgewater since he’s coming off such a devastating knee/leg injury, perhaps Hackenberg might be worth keeping around just in case.

In a perfect world, the Jets will start the regular season with McCown under center, Bridgewater as his backup, and a newly drafted quarterback learning the ropes from the sideline. In this scenario, there wouldn’t be a need for a fourth or even fifth quarterback on the depth chart since it won’t be needed. It all comes down to Bridgewater’s health and execution which ultimately ties into Hackenberg’s fate if he’s going to spend another season with the Jets or have to find work elsewhere. For now though, even after the Jets draft a new quarterback for the future, Hackenberg is likely safe from being released.

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