Rookie Hansen not so Green anymore
During his breakout junior season at Cal in 2016, Chad Hansen was never shy about talking trash or showing emotion. The receiver even developed a trademark touchdown celebration of sorts. His best game came on Sept. 17 in an upset victory over then-No. 11 Texas, when he caught 12 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns, including a go-ahead 23-yard strike in the second quarter.
After the score, Hansen shifted his fingers into the recognizable “Hook ‘em Horns” symbol and faced the crowd. He then grabbed his wrist and turned his hand upside down. A week later, Hansen went off for 110 yards at Arizona State. He hauled in a 20-yard touchdown in the second quarter and replicated his touchdown celebration — only this time with the “Fork ’Em Devils” three-fingered hand symbol.
Hansen said that passion and fire “comes naturally” to him, but through the early stages of his rookie season with the Jets, teammates weren’t seeing it. Jermaine Kearse, who also played collegiately in the Pac-12 at Washington, had witnessed Hansen stirring it up at Cal, including in the Texas game. So the veteran approached the greenhorn and told him to start showcasing his feisty demeanor.
Since then, Hansen has made a point not to hold back, and his increased playing time in recent weeks — thanks to Jeremy Kerley’s four-game PED suspension — has afforded him the opportunity to make plays worth celebrating.
“He just is on me about getting fired up,” Hansen told the Daily News of Kearse ahead of the Jets’ game at the Broncos this weekend. “He saw that when I was in college. So I wasn’t doing as much of that here. He’s been on me trying to get me to do it a lot more.”
In Sunday’s win over the Chiefs, Hansen converted two crucial first downs on separate scoring series, including the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter.
He made his first third-down catch on the opening possession of the second half, when the Jets drove 72 yards on 18 plays and took close to 10 minutes off the clock. Facing a 3rd-and-9, Hansen ran a short route to the middle of the field. The Chiefs had blown the coverage, and Hansen was wide open. Josh McCown pointed at the rookie wide receiver. Hansen settled into the space. McCown delivered a strike. Hansen caught it, turned and dragged Chiefs cornerback Terrance Mitchell past the marker for a gain of 13.
Hansen rose from the turf and beat his chest with both his fists as he delivered a primal shout. The first player to come over and congratulate — Hansen was Kearse, who head-butted his protege.
“Honestly, that came without even thinking about it,” Hansen said of the celebration.
The Jets drafted Hansen in fourth round this past spring. He was a talented but raw prospect.
Hansen, 22, played his freshman season at Idaho State before transferring to Cal as a walk-on. He wasn’t on NFL radars until he carved up Pac12 secondaries last year, turning into the favorite target of Golden Bears quarterback Davis Webb.
As a result, Hansen was limited in his action to begin the season with Gang Green. Coming from a spread offense at Berkley, Hansen said learning John Morton’s intricate West Coast system was “extremely difficult.” He only played 43 offensive snaps in the Jets’ first eight games, including just 17 in the first five games.
But everything changed when Kerley went down with an ankle injury in the first quarter against the Bills on Nov. 2. Hansen was forced into action, and while he didn’t catch any passes, he held his own. Kerley was suspended the following week and has missed the last three contests.
“They threw me in there and I was able to go out there and play well. So I think that’s when it all clicked,” Hansen said. “But it was definitely a gradual process up until then.”
Including the Buffalo win, Hansen has played 156 offensive snaps over the past four games. He caught his first three career passes in a loss at the Bucs and followed that up three weeks later with two more receptions against the Chiefs.
“It was definitely big for me in taking that next step,” Hansen said of his performance against Kansas City. “And I think it just goes a long way for the trust that the coaches and players have — in me.”
He’s right. This week, Bowles said the “game isn’t too big” for Hansen.
“It can accelerate the trust,” Bowles added of Hansen’s third-down conversions. “He’s still going to have to see some things, but he’s out there playing hard and he’s playing well.”
“It’s always good to see him (be disciplined) and catch the ball and get north and south and get first downs for us,” said Morton.
Hansen is just scratching the surface of his potential, and he has a long way to go before he’s cemented himself in the NFL.
But as Hansen develops, Jets fans should expect to see more energetic celebrations from the rookie pass-catcher.
“I definitely feel a lot more comfortable,” Hansen said. “I feel like I know the playbook, and I feel like that’s shown over the past few weeks. They’re giving me a lot more opportunities, and I’m just trying to go out there and play as well as I can.”