Christian Hackenberg Bio: Career, College, NFL, Baseball & Net Worth

Not to mention, you have certainly heard about the footballers who rise quickly to fame with the New York Jets and switch his sports.

By the same token, Christian Hackenberg is one of those who are now attempting to have a career in baseball. However, he never played a regular-season game in the National Football League.

In fact, Christian is a former American quarterback who was drafted by the New York Jets in 2016. However, the Jets released him before he could make a professional debut for them.

Similarly, he looked for his first NFL appearance through the teams, including the Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, and Cincinnati Bengals but could get none.

Eventually, exhausted from his NFL draught, he signed for the Memphis Express to play in Alliance of American Football.

Soon his NFL career would face an end as the league stopped operating in April 2019. Henceforth, he sought a baseball career as he did not want to bury the athleticism in him.

Without delay, let’s have a thorough look at the life journey of a man who wanted to reach the summit of a football career like Dak Prescott but had to change the pitch as it could not happen. Of course, we will cover his brilliant high school and college career.

Quick facts

Where is Christian Hackenberg from? Early Life, Family, and Education

Christian Blaize Hackenberg shortly Christian Hackenberg was born in Lehighton, Pennsylvania, to parents Erick Hackenberg and Nicole Hackenberg.

Furthermore, he has three siblings, and all of them are brothers, Brandon, Drue, and Adam. Later, his family shifted to Palmyra in Virginia, where he spent his childhood.

In fact, he had covered 851 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions with a 72-percent passing completion in his first three games. Ultimately, he could snatch the Big Ten Conference’s Freshman of the Week honor two times.

Furthermore, Bill O’Brien coached Hackenberg to make a new Penn State for passing yards in a single game with 311 against Eastern Michigan.

In like manner, he set the other ten records as a school freshman. To point out, he secured Big Ten Freshman of the Week five times.

What college did Christian Hackenberg attend? College Career

Undoubtedly, Hackenberg got many offers from the universities, including Alabama, UConn, Florida, Rutgers, South Carolina, and Virginia.

Ultimately, he decided to play for Penn State Nittany Lions by attending Pennsylvania State University in 2013. Immediately, he booked his spot as the starting quarterback for the team.

In fact, he had covered 851 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions with a 72-percent passing completion in his first three games. Ultimately, he could snatch the Big Ten Conference’s Freshman of the Week honor two times.

Furthermore, Bill O’Brien coached Hackenberg to make a new Penn State for passing yards in a single game with 311 against Eastern Michigan.

In like manner, he set the other ten records as a school freshman. To point out, he secured Big Ten Freshman of the Week five times.

How old is Christian Hackenberg? Age and Height

Having been born in 1995 makes Christian’s age 29–years currently. Likewise, Hackenberg shares his birthday on February 14, making his birth sign Aquarius. 

And from what we know, people of this sign are known for being enthusiastic, determined and talented.

Besides his personality, Hackenberg also has impressive physical features. Moreover, the former American quarterback stands at the astounding height of 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m), weighing 103 kg (228 lbs), proportionate to his height.  

Apart from this, Christian’s other notable body features include his short dark brown hair and a pair of green eyes.

Not to mention, he is American by Nationality and belongs to white ethnicity. Likewise, he is Christian by religion.

Christian Hackenberg: Professional Career

New York Jets

Draft and Signing

Eventually, Christian offered himself for the NFL draft in January 2016, being the fifth-best quarterback per ESPN. He was soon selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the season’s draft.

To point out, he signed a four-year, $4.66 million contract with the Jets that included an instant $1.6 million signing bonus.

Likewise, his professional debut came in August 2016 in a preseason game against the New York Giants. Notably, he had 6 out of 16 completed passes with a touchdown and one interception in the match.

No regular-season matches in the debut season

In contrast to his hype before the season, Hackenberg had to be the fourth candidate for the club’s quarterback position for regular-season matches.

He was not included in the playing squad for the regular season’s first 15 games by the same token. In fact, he was on the bench watching his team play.

Ultimately, he had to wait until the season’s final game to see himself active for a game. He had to compete with the quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick (Liza Barber‘s husband), Geno Smith, and Bryce Petty to play the position.

Accordingly, he did not get a chance to play in a single down in his debut season.

The final season at the Jets

The quarterback player started the Jets training camp against Josh McCown and Bryce Petty for the starting quarterback job.

Next season, he played all four preseason games for the Jets, including two of them. In fact, he had a 5.1 yards average per attempt against the Tennessee Titans in the first preseason match.

Also, he recorded 14 yards in the second game as Bryce Petty replaced him in the second match.

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Meanwhile, he was on the bench as a back-up for Josh McCown in the season-opener. However, he had to be a third-choice quarterback for the team in the next game.

Similarly, he came as a backup in the final three games as McCown was injured. This season too, he did not play a game.

Seeking for an NFL game.

First, Hackenberg was traded to the Oakland Raiders in May 2018. However, the Raiders negated the trade by waiving him in June.

As a result, Christian opted to be a free agent by clearing the waivers on the next day.

Next, he signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles in August 2018. After two games on the bench, the debut came for him at the end of the month in a preseason game against his old club, the Jets. Again, the Eagles waived in early September.

Above all, Hackenberg’s determination to have a career still had not faded. Again, he signed for the Cincinnati Bengals in their practice squad.

Unfortunately, the Bengals removed him from their practice squad, and he was a free agent.

Playing for Memphis Express in AAF

Eventually, Hackenberg joined the quarterback camp of the Alliance of American Football in November 2018 as he was exhausted from attempting to play in NFL.

In the meantime, the Memphis Express poached him in the second round of the 2019 AAF QB Draft.

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Notably, in his debut game for the Express against the Birmingham Iron, he could not provide an expected performance with 10 out of 23 completed passes for 87 yards.

Similarly, he could not improve his performance in his next two games as he could not register a touchdown.

Furthermore, Zach Mettenberger replaced him in his third game, which was against the Orlando Apollos.

Owing to his poor performance, he was left out of the starting squad by the head coach Mike Singletary. Also, Brandon Silvers became the backup for Zach, and Christian had to be the fourth man behind newly signed Johnny Manziel.

Baseball Career

Why did Christian Hackenberg opt for a baseball career? Well, this question had booked its spot in many football fans lately in June 2020.

Meanwhile, Hackenberg had just announced that he would pursue a career in baseball since then. Does the story sound familiar, like Tim Tebow?

If one door closes and I have the opportunity to open another one, why not to do it?

As a matter of fact, Hackenberg played baseball in his days at high school. However, he has not been involved with the game, at least seriously, not even in his college.

Furthermore, he put forward that he is interested in playing as a pitcher and welcomes offers from any of the team in Major League Baseball.

In fact, Hackenberg had thrown a little over 25 innings at Fork Union Military Academy, earning a run average of 7.36.

Likewise, he walked 40 batters with 33 strikes. Not to mention, he had an average hit of .378, recording 10 homers in 148 at-bats.

In due time, some reports suggest that the head coach at Rutgers-Camden is training him.

Christian Hackenberg | Career Stats

You can check the scouting report of Christian here.

Christian Hackenberg: Awards and Titles

Overall, Hackenberg’s NFL career saw an end before it could yield fruit. In fact, he did not get a chance to prove himself while being over two years for a bunch of NFL teams.

Nevertheless, he has got a few recognitions in his collegiate career.

While playing for the Penn State Lions, he clinched Big Ten Conference Freshman of the Week titles twice in the first three of his games and five times altogether.

Christian Hackenberg | Career Highlights

 Big Ten Football Freshman of the Year in 2013.

Scouted as a five-star recruit by both Rivals.com and Scout.com.

No. 2 pro-style quarterback in the nation.

Christian Hackenberg | Net Worth and Salary

Not to mention, Hackenberg was involved in NFL by signing with the New York Jets with a four-year, $4.66 million contract that featured a signing bonus of $1.6 million.

However, the Jets released him within two years without playing him in even a single down.

Christian Hackenberg has an approximated net worth of $3 million as of 2024.

According to sources, he reportedly earned an accumulated fortune of $2.77 million in his football career.

Now, he is searching for a team in MLB that will sign him to play baseball. Of course, we wish him to have a wonderful career with whichever team he plays. Notably, he also endorsed Quicken Loans.

Net Worth of Christian Hackenberg in Different Currencies

Here is the net worth of Christian Hackenberg in different currencies, including the Cryptocurrency and BitCoin. 

Christian Hackenberg: Relationship

To point out, Christian Hackenberg has been in a relationship with his college girlfriend, Tatum Coffey, for a while now.

Moreover, he proposed to her in 2018, and the couple got engaged as Tatum accepted the proposal.

Furthermore, they tied the knot with each other on November 7, 2020. In fact, Tatum was an intern who worked at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.

Thus, she is aiming to have a well-decorated career in reporting and sports broadcasting. Also, the couple has no children as of now.

Christian Hackenberg: Social Media

Twitter: 70.4k followers

Instagram: 39.8K followers

Facebook: 6,265 followers

Commonly asked queries:

What is Christian Hackenberg doing now?

Undoubtedly, Christian Hackenberg came with a big dream of having a successful career in the NFL when he was drafted in 2016.

However, things did not go as he planned as the former quarterback was not played by any of the team in a single NFL game.

As a result, he announced his departure from football in June 2020. As of now, he is looking for an MLB team that can offer him a chance to play baseball as a pitcher.

Furthermore, he is heard of having the training to be ready for a new career.

Who was Christian Hackenberg’s backup at Penn state?

Trace McSorley was Christian Hackenberg’s backup at Penn state.

How much are the jets paying Christian Hackenberg?

Christian Hackenberg signed a four-year, $4.66 million contract with the New York Jets featuring a $1.6 million signing bonus. 

Where does Christian Hackenberg live?

Christian Hackenberg resides in Palmyra, Virginia, United States.

How many times was Christian Hackenberg sacked in college?

Christian Hackenberg has sacked 103 times in his college career.

Why Christian Hackenberg left the NFL and football?

Since his high school and college days, Hackenberg was a brilliant quarterback in football. Also, he got a lot of hype behind him as the New York Jets drafted him in 2016.

However, he did not get the opportunity to play in any of the regular-season games in the NFL.

So, he had moved to the AAF’s team Memphis Express where he struggled a lot in terms of consistency.

Regardless, the league was ceased to action in 2019. Ultimately, he opted for a baseball career, having not seen his future in football.

How many games has Christian Hackenberg been active for with the jets?

Christian Hackenberg has been active in five of his 32 games as a Jet.

Who will pick up Christian Hackenberg?

The New York Jets selected Christian Hackenberg in the second round (51st overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft.

What is the Jersey Number of Hackenberg?

Hackenberg wears the jersey number of 14,7,5,8.

What Happened to Christian Hackenberg?

The Quaterback football player suffered from a shoulder injury in a game played against Georgia.