Ex-Jets QB Hackenberg to try baseball

"I know how hard it is to hit a baseball, but I have the arm talent." Hackenberg, who turned 25 in February, was a second-round pick (51st overall) of the Jets in 2016 but never played a regular-season snap in the NFL.

Former New York Jets quarterback Christian Hackenberg is switching to baseball with hopes of becoming a professional pitcher, he told NBC Sports Philadelphia in an interview that aired Saturday evening. "I just want to compete, man," Hackenberg said. "I've kind of had my trials and tribulations with the NFL and had success, and had that roller-coaster ride. At the end of the day, I'm sitting here at 25. I feel like I've got a lot left in the tank."

Per NBC Sports Philadelphia, Hackenberg is consistently throwing more than 90 mph, and touching as high as 92. "I have too much respect for the game of baseball," he said. "I know how hard it is to hit a baseball, but I have the arm talent."

Hackenberg, who turned 25 in February, was a second-round pick (51st overall) of the Jets in 2016 but never played a regular-season snap in the NFL. He is one of only six players drafted in Round 2 or higher since 2001 who did not play in a regular-season game, and one of only three first- or second-round quarterbacks in the common-draft era (since 1967) not to play in his first two seasons.

He last played football for the Alliance of American Football's Memphis Express in 2019, but the league folded midway through the season. Hackenberg passed for 8,457 yards, 48 touchdowns and 31 interceptions in three seasons (2013-15) at Penn State.

He played baseball in high school at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy but made just 16 total appearances (two starts) as a pitcher, posting a 7.36 ERA, according to MaxPreps. As a batter, Hackenberg hit .378 with 10 homers and 46 RBIs over 47 games.

--Field Level Media