Mac won’t call sad sack Hack a bust yet
On April 29, 2016, Mike Maccagnan spent the 51st overall pick on Christian Hackenberg. The Jets general manager was looking for his franchise quarterback and believed the Penn State signal-caller fit the mold.
One year, six months, and 11 days removed from that second day of the NFL draft, the facts are unavoidable: Hackenberg is the Jets’ third-string quarterback, he’s yet to play a regular-season snap and he’s only been active for two regular-season games in his career. Amid this surprising 4-5 start for Todd Bowles’ young group, the youngest quarterback on the Jets roster has been an afterthought.
Despite all this, Maccagnan remains positive about the draft pick that, thus far, is the major blemish on his tenure in Florham Park.
“The one thing I think with any player is they all develop at different paces and different rates,” Maccagnan said Wednesday inside the Jets facility. “I think (the preseason) was good experience for Christian. I think we got an idea of areas where he still needs to improve upon, like every young player. But I wouldn’t necessarily be discouraged.”
Hackenberg was active for the Jets’ seasonopening loss to the Bills in Buffalo — but that was only because Bryce Petty was still dealing with an MCL sprain. The following week in Oakland, Petty dressed as Josh McCown’s backup, and he’s clung to that role over the last two months.
“I like the work they’re putting in,” Maccagnan said. “I like going out there and watching them at practice. And we’ll see how they continue to progress and develop.”
With the Jets now on the fringe of the AFC playoff hunt, it’s unlikely Hackenberg will see the field this season. That means there’s a genuine possibility Hackenberg could enter his third NFL season without taking a regular-season snap. Maccagnan seemed comfortable with that potential fact.
“You’re constantly evaluating every player on the roster during the season and in the preseason. But I don’t think there’s any prerequisite of what we need or don’t need to do,” Maccagnan said. “We’re encouraged by the work those guys have put in.”
In the meantime, McCown is enjoying the best season of his journeyman career. He’s already tied his career high in passing touchdowns with 13. He’s on pace to shatter his career high in passing yards. He’s second in the league in completion percentage (70.4%), trailing only future Hall of Famer Drew Brees.
The 38-year-old has been a perfect fit in offensive coordinator John Morton’s West Coast scheme, helping raise the play of the young receivers and tight ends around him, primarily Robby Anderson (career-high four touchdowns) and Austin Seferian-Jenkins (career-high 33 catches).
If McCown continues to play at this level, the Jets would be crazy to not at least consider bringing him back for 2017. McCown signed a one-year deal with the Jets in March and will be a free agent after this season.
“We’ll see how the rest of the season plays itself out,” Maccagnan said of the possibility of McCown returning in 2018.
When asked directly if his quarterback of the future is currently on his roster, Maccagnan deflected.
“I don’t want to sit here and speculate from that standpoint, like what we have and where it’s going to be,” Maccagnan said. “We’ll see how the young players continue to perform and work in practice.”