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Jets trade Hackenberg to Raiders

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The New York Jets have traded former Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg to the Oakland Raiders for a conditional seventh-round draft pick.

Hackenberg was a second-round pick out of Penn State in 2016, but never played a regular-season snap for the Jets. The 23-year-old quarterback was clearly No. 4 on New York’s depth chart, behind veterans Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater and first-rounder Sam Darnold.

Hackenberg is the first quarterback drafted in the first two rounds in more than 30 years not to play a single snap in an NFL regular-season game during his first two seasons.

Asked why Hackenberg never worked out, Jets coach Todd Bowles said, “I can’t answer that fully. For some players it takes a while to get going. Some go to Canada, some go to different teams, some do different type of stuff. We did everything we could to help him as best we could.”

Hackenberg apparently disagreed with that last part.

Earlier Tuesday, before he was traded, he made a comment to the New York media that suggested he did not get all the coaching he needed from the Jets.

“I think there were some times where I threw it really good throughout my first two years here,” Hackenberg said. “That was the frustrating part for me, 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, how to address it.”

Hackenberg did go on to add, “I don’t put the blame on anyone. I think my thing is I’m happy I got the opportunity and someone stepped up outside of me to help me and give me the tools to do it.”

Hackenberg revamped his mechanics during the offseason, working with personal coach Jeff Christensen.

“All I know is, I’m 23 and I’ve got a lot of ball in front of me,” Hackenberg said. “Hell, my career hasn’t even started yet. I’m excited about what the future holds.

“For the first time in a long time, right now, I feel that I have a solid foundation from a fundamental standpoint,” he added. “The cool thing is it only started about two months ago and it’s only going to keep on getting better and better and better. I’m excited about it.”

Bowles said he likes Hackenberg’s talent.

“Obviously, it didn’t cultivate here,” Bowles said. “Sometimes it takes a team or two or three to find your spot. Hopefully, he does that.”

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the Raiders want to see what Hackenberg can offer, given that their new coach, Jon Gruden, has always liked the quarterback.

When Gruden was working for ESPN, he hosted quarterback camp shows each year, bringing in prospects and putting them through personal workouts and interviews.

Here’s what Gruden wrote about Hackenberg for ESPN before the 2016 draft, under the header of “I’ll be shocked if Hackenberg is not a first-round pick:”

“The biggest surprise to me on Hackenberg is that no one is really talking about him in the first round. This was the No. 1 prospect in the nation a few years ago and someone who showed during his freshman year he could produce at a high level in a true NFL-style offense.

“What he showed during that first year at Penn State — before the coaching change, before the system change, before all the things that derailed him — would be enough for me to take this guy early. This man can run a 4.7-second 40, he is tough as hell and he works relentlessly. He just has to get in the right system with the right people and refocus on the small details.”

Derek Carr is the Raiders’ starting quarterback, and Hackenberg will compete with EJ Manuel and Connor Cook for a backup job.

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