New York Jets QB Situation: Sanchez is Likely Starter

McElroy (left), Sanchez (middle), and Tebow (right) watch their defense from the sidelines

The quarterback is by far the most important figurehead for a football team, and they are expected to be the leader. The question this offseason for the Jets is who will be this figurehead and leader? Who will be given the most pressured position for any football player?

Currently, the Jets have Greg McElroy, Tim Tebow, newly acquired veteran David Garrard, and of course Mark Sanchez. Also, there is always the possibility of the Jets drafting a quarterback, whether it be Geno Smith in the first round or E.J. Manuel in the third round or anyone else.
Recently, there has been news that the Jets are attempting to trade both Tim Tebow and Mark Sanchez. Don’t get excited, it is highly unlikely the Jets will trade Sanchez. However, it appears that Tebow is either going to be traded or released in the near future.

As for McElroy, the Jets are most likely going to keep him on the roster but the odds of him starting next year are very slim. Watch for the Jets to try and develop him to be the quarterback of the future, but don’t be surprised if he ends up being the backup of the future, much like Kellen Clemens was.

David Garrard is one of the most interesting stories of the offseason. Was he brought to the team to start? Consider this: last time Garrard was in the NFL he was a starter, and he may still be a starter now if it wasn’t for his injury. Also, with teams like Oakland, Buffalo, and Arizona all in need for a quarterback he could have easily gone to one of those teams and started. However, he is on the Jets, which makes us have to believe that Rex Ryan and John Idzik must have made a great pitch to Garrard, which may have included a chance to fight for the starting quarterback role against Sanchez.

And finally, the possibility of drafting a quarterback is always an option for the Jets. If Geno Smith is available with the 13th pick and the Jets acquire that pick from the Bucs, don’t be shocked if the Jets do draft him. If they do draft Geno, look for the Jets do something similar to the Jaguars McCown-Gabbert project, which for the Jets would mean to start Sanchez for as many games possible until he plays so bad you have to put in Geno.

Ultimately, I do expect that once again the Jets will decide to start Sanchez for the majority of the year. It may be because of Rex Ryan’s stubbornness, or because of the lack of other mediocre options. For whatever reason it is, it’s probably safe to assume that Sanchez will at the very least start Week 1. Also, it is safe to assume that Tebow will be gone by the end of the offseason. If the Jets do draft Geno Smith or any other quarterback, they will most likely release either David Garrard or Greg McElroy.

Although this may be unfortunate news to Jets fans that despise having Sanchez as the starting quarterback as much as I do, there is still hope that when Sanchez’s contract is done Idzik will not make the same mistake as his predecessor and will not extend his contract. If this happens, we may see McElroy or any other quarterback in this year’s draft get an opportunity to start.