The Jets’ quarterback picture underwent a dramatic makeover Friday evening.
The Jets signed Michael Vick and released Mark Sanchez, finally making two moves that have been rumored for weeks.
Vick visited with the Jets on Friday, and he said he did not leave before signing a one-year, $5-million deal with the team. The 33-year-old is expected to compete for the starting job with second-year quarterback Geno Smith.
“I think it’s open competition every day,” Vick said in a conference call Friday night. “We’re going to compete every day and push one another. If I was named the starter right now, I would want the guy behind me to push me and for his mindset to be that he was the starter.
“As of right now, Geno is the starting quarterback for this football team. Like I said, from this point on we’re just going to continue to compete each and every day.”
Vick once was one of the most dynamic players in football, but there are questions about his durability and skill level 13 years after he was the No. 1 overall pick by the Falcons. He has not played a full season since 2006, before he was convicted for his involvement with a dog-fighting ring. He spent 19 months in prison before joining the Eagles in 2009.
Vick is a polarizing figure because of his crimes, and many Jets fans took to Twitter on Friday night to say they no longer would root for the team.
“I think right now my past is irrelevant,” Vick said. “We’re talking about football, not the things that transpired off the field.”
His former offensive coordinator with the Eagles was Marty Mornhinweg, who now has that job with the Jets. That relationship helped bring the Jets and Vick together.
Vick made it clear he still believes he can play, even after losing his starting job in Philadelphia to Nick Foles.
“I have a lot left,” Vick said. “It’s evident with what I was able to do last year. I got injured and Nick Foles came in and played great. That was the reason I was sidelined. It wasn’t because of my play or because I had anything left in the tank.”
With Vick on the roster, the Jets released Sanchez, the former starting quarterback.
“I’d like to thank Mark for everything he’s done for this team and me personally,” coach Rex Ryan said in a statement issued by the Jets. “We were rookies together and had some early success, becoming the first rookie head coach and quarterback to go to back-to-back championship games. We experienced a lot together, and I really appreciate Mark. He’s a great player, a great teammate, and I wish him nothing but the best.”
Sanchez was drafted No. 5 overall by the Jets in 2009 and helped guide them to appearances in the AFC Championship game in his first two seasons. But thinks went south after that.
Sanchez committed a total of 52 turnovers combined in 2011 and 2012. The low point came on the “Buttfumble” against the Patriots on Thanksgiving night in 2012, a play that was replayed thousands of times on TV. He endured the Jets trading for Tim Tebow in 2012, then watched them drafted Geno Smith last year to challenge him for the job.
Ryan made the strange decision last August of putting Sanchez in during the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Giants behind a backup offensive line. Sanchez was hit by defensive lineman Marvin Austin and injured his shoulder. The torn labrum in his right shoulder required surgery and he missed the season.
The Jets had to make a move with Sanchez before Monday. If he had remained on the roster on Tuesday, he would have been due a $2 million roster bonus. By releasing Sanchez, the Jets cleared $8.3 million in salary-cap space.
The Jets signed Vick two years to the day after they traded for Tebow. Now, Vick versus Smith will be the latest quarterback controversy for the team. Vick chose his words carefully Friday night, but it’s clear he didn’t join the Jets to hold a clipboard.
“I wouldn’t say I’d necessarily be OK with sitting on the bench all year, but I know what I signed up for,” Vick said. “I know what I came to New York to do. First and foremost, I came to compete and to be a helping hand to Geno. I believe he has a long way to go.”