Remember Mark Sanchez? The New York Jets quarterback might have been the forgotten athlete of the NFL season, but several teams are very aware that he might become available in the next few months. Sanchez's job security with the Jets has been in question every since the team drafted Geno Smith. While the Jets might have soured on him, several NFL teams would be interested in his services.
There certainly plenty of quarterback needy teams in the upcoming 2014 NFL season. The free agent market for quarterbacks right now is weak. Michael Vick, Josh McCown and Josh Freeman are the first to headline the class. Brandon Weeden and Christian Ponder could be joining. No one is really exciting any teams and only so many rookies will make an impact after being drafted. Hello, Sanchez.
One coach, choosing to remain anonymous told the New York Post that his team would be very willing to sign Sanchez and he knows several other franchises that feel the same way.
"We'd take Sanchez," the coach said. "He's be the starter as soon as he walked in the door for us."
A starter right away? That might come as a surprise for Jets fans that endured Sanchez over the last few years. He turned the ball over 52 times in the span of two seasons. Despite winning four playoff games as a starter, his turnover issues caused him to be the first to take the fall. Sanchez spent the entire season on injured reserve after suffering a torn labrum in his throwing shoulder after head coach Rex Ryan opted to keep him in the game well into the fourth quarter of a preseason game.
Many are assuming the Jets will either release or trade Sanchez at the first chance they get. Smith was the starter for all of 2013 and he did a good enough job to earn a second look from Ryan and John Idzik.
Sanchez still has three years remaining on his contract. He is a $13.1 million hit to the salary cap in 2014, so consider him gone. The Jets would save $8.3 million by releasing him and with Smith, the team has no reason to keep the former starter around.
So who could these interested teams be? Sanchez would do well if he were to sign with a team that was already set up with a few offensive playmakers. The Minnesota Vikings could be a realistic option for Sanchez with Adrian Peterson and Greg Jennings to help out. The Houston Texans could also be an option, but head coach Bill O'Brien appears more content drafting a rookie in the spot instead.
Sanchez's time in New York is over. It is only a matter of time before the Jets opt to save money over keeping the quarterback.
