Ex-Jet bust will get shot to throw passes

Christian Hackenberg might finally get to throw his first pass in a pro game.

One of the worst draft picks in Jets history was included on a list of players who have signed on with the new Alliance of American Football set to start play in February, Pro Football Talk reported.

The AAF is an eight-team developmental league that will debut after Super Bowl LIII in February. The start-up league is the brainchild of Charlie Ebersol — son of former NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol — and longtime NFL exec Bill Polian. The league will play in the NFL's offseason (February to April) and the AAF has a broadcast deal with CBS.

Players in the AAF will reportedly get three-year, $250,000 contracts with an out-clause if they get an offer from the NFL. Teams are based in Atlanta, Birmingham, Orlando, Memphis, San Antonio, Phoenix, Salt Lake and San Diego.

"One objective is to take some of those people who can't quite make it and make them into quality NFL players," Polian told ESPN.

Hackenberg certainly falls into that category.

The new league will be holding a draft to allocate QBs on Nov. 27 at The Luxor's Esport Arena in Las Vegas. Former NFL QB Scott Tolzien will also be in the allocation draft, per PFT.

More than 600 players have signed contracts for the 2019 campaign, the AAF announced last month.

Jets GM Mike Maccagnan made a massive blunder in the 2016 NFL Draft when he made Hackenberg the 51st overall pick. The Penn State product was the first quarterback in more than three decades drafted in the first two rounds not to take a single single regular-season snap over his first two seasons.

Gang Green traded Hackenberg to the Raiders this offseason for a conditional seventh-round pick. He lasted just three weeks with the lowly Raiders. He then made a brief stop in Eagles camp before ending up on the practice squad with the Bengals. He was cut loose earlier this week.

While Hackenberg was never trusted to get into a game while in a Jets uniform, he did toss Gang Green's coaching staff under the bus before he left the organization for not doing enough to help him develop.

"I think there were some times where I threw it really good thoughout my first two years here, so that was the frustrating part for me, is the ups and downs and not knowing why, if that makes sense, and not really getting any information from anybody on how to fix that and how to address it."

In that same interview, Hackenberg added: "Hell, my career hasn't even started yet."

Now it looks like that start will come in the AAF.