If football fans thought the 2013 offseason for the New York Jets was interesting, 2014 is about to get even better. The team has plenty of decisions to make regarding some of their top players including Santonio Holmes and Antonio Cromartie, but most of that will take a back seat to the elephant in the room, Mark Sanchez.
First thing is first, the Jets have announced that head coach Rex Ryan will be back with the team next season. Owner Woody Johnson and general manager John Idzik have both spoken out in praise of Ryan despite the 8-8 finish and missed playoffs, saying they believe that for another year he is the man to lead the team. The team is not addressing Ryan's contract outside of saying he is coming back. The head coach will be entering the final year of his 2010 deal, earning $3 million.
"Rex has more passion than anyone I have ever met," Johnson said in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by ESPN's Darren Rovell. "Passion for the jets. Passion for teaching and motivating his players and coaches. Passion for winning. Like any NFL Head Coach, he's had ups and downs, but Rex has been a tremendous leader of this football team."
With Ryan returning, will Sanchez? The quarterback ended his 2013 season before it even began after a shoulder injury in the preseason landed him on injured reserve. He is a large cap hit in 2014 with a salary of $8.75 million and $2 millioni n roster bonuses. It was highly considered that the Jets would attempt to trade Sanchez during the year and dump the high salary, but that never happened as Ryan endorsed his future.
As of now, all signs point to Geno Smith remaining the starting quarterback in 2014. The rookie went through a rough stretch, but finished strong over the past four games. The Jets finished with a 3-1 record as Smith tossed just two interceptions over that stretch. The quarterback saw his fair share of rookie struggles, but is confident in his abilities to lead the team in the future. For the season, Smith completed 55.8 percent of his passes for 3,046 yards and 12 touchdowns. The 21 interceptions overshadows these numbers a bit.
In comparison, Sanchez completed 54.3 percent of his passes last season for 2,883 yards and 13 touchdowns while totaling up 18 interceptions and 14 fumbles. Sanchez could return though as the Jets could certainly use a veteran quarterback to backup the rookie. He likely will not get a ton of attention if released and he has proven he can win in the NFL. Do not forget, Sanchez "won" the preseason quarterback competition.
Ryan likes what he sees in Smith, but Sanchez has the legacy vote. If the veteran agrees to have his contract reworked and take a serious pay cut, he could easily find a way to stay with the team. Matt Simms and David Garrard could both be on the outs as Smith and Sanchez could once again lead the roster.
