If Mark Sanchez was looking to his former teammates to support him staying on the New York Jets, he's out of luck as the quarterback's former teammates said that his time in New York should be over and that the Geno Smith era is in full swing.
Sanchez will likely be cut by the Jets heading into next season as Smith took the reins to the team's offense in his rookie year after Sanchez went down with a shoulder injury in the team's Week 3 preseason matchup with the New York Giants. Sanchez watched from the sideline as Smith had an up-and-down rookie year but led the team to 8-8.
ESPN reports that in a poll of ex-players turned analysts (some which included his former teammates) on "Radio Row" during Super Bowl XLVIII week in New York City, most people believe Sanchez has to go.
"Nothing against Mark, but his time in New York is over," said Tony Richardson, who played with Sanchez on the 2009 and 2010 playoff teams, per ESPN. "For Mark and the organization, it's time for a fresh start. He deserves a fresh start. It would be hard to put people in the stands if you go back to the table with Mark."
Bart Scott, who also played with Sanchez when he led the team to back-to-back AFC Championship Games, said that he believed a Smith and Sanchez competition like the one that dominated the headlines in 2013 before Sanchez's injury would be a setback for the team.
"Sanchez has to be the star because he's still in his prime," said Scott, who believes the Jets should pursue Matt Schaub, who could be released by the Houston Texans via ESPN. "Schaub understands where he's at in his career. He's a gate keeper. Sanchez thinks he can play for another eight, nine years. That creates a tension."
Sanchez is signed with the Jets for the next three seasons with a troublesome $13.1 million cap hit, and the Jets need to make a decision by March 25 when a $2 million roster bonus is due to the signal caller. The team can either trade him and re-structure the deal in order to do so, or cut him and save $8.3 million in cap space.
"I can't imagine Mark Sanchez will be back with this team," former NFL MVP Rich Gannon, who covered several Jets games for CBS, told ESPN. "A lot of players go through it. I had to go somewhere and get a new start. ... I don't think he'll want to come back and be a backup and I don't think you can run him out as a starter. I think his cap number will prevent him from being part of this team."
Sanchez played his first four seasons with the Jets and overall has completed 55.1 percent of his passes while throwing for 12,092 yards with 68 touchdowns and 69 interceptions.
Smith, in his rookie year, went 247-for-443 (55.8%) for 3,046 yards with 12 scores and 21 picks while having an up-and-down season.
It appears as though Sanchez will be off the Jets by March and the Smith era will be fully ushered in
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