Ex-Eagles, Raiders, Jets QB Christian Hackenberg Training to Be MLB Pitcher

Here's one that may sound familiar: A star college quarterback from a premier college program goes to the NFL, lasts for a few seasons, flames out and decides to try baseball instead. 

No, it's not Tim Tebow. 

This time it's Penn State alum Christian Hackenberg, and he's trying to retrain his arm from throwing a football to throwing fastballs. 

"As simple as I can put it, I just want to compete, man," Hackenberg told Rob Kuestner of NBC 10 in Philadelphia. "I've had my trials and tribulations with the NFL and had success and had that rollercoaster ride. At the end of the day, I'm sitting here at 25, and, like, for me ... I feel like I've got a lot left in the tank."

The 2016 second-round pick previously had stints with the New York Jets, then-Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, Cincinnati Bengals and the failed Alliance of American Football's Memphis Express. 

Whether or not a team takes a chance on him depends on his command, velocity and—more likely than not—his marketability. 

When the New York Mets decided to sign Tebow, the team later admitted it was mostly a ploy to drum up fan interest. After the amount of backlash that move created, Hackenberg may have an even steeper climb to earn a professional contract.