The Jets certainly did no favors for Mark Sanchez on his way out the door.
The team delayed releasing Sanchez until Friday after they signed Michael Vick, severely limiting his options for a new team. The Jets had to make a decision by Monday on Sanchez or pay him a $2 million roster bonus. They nearly waited until the final minute.
Sanchez would have been one of the top free-agent quarterbacks on the market two weeks ago, but now many of the teams looking for a veteran quarterback have filled that spot. Sanchez’s representatives pushed for a resolution of the issue at last month’s scouting combine, but Jets general manager John Idzik refused to make a decision before he had another quarterback on the roster.
Earlier on Friday, a possible Sanchez landing spot disappeared when the Raiders acquired Matt Schaub from the Texans. The Texans, another team that had some interest in Sanchez, made the trade after signing Ryan Fitzpatrick on Thursday.
At the moment, the Browns still may be in the market for a quarterback, but Cleveland coach Mike Pettine was never a Sanchez fan when he was the Jets defensive coordinator. The Bills also may be in the market for a backup to EJ Manuel.
Then there are teams that have staff members with ties to Sanchez. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll coached Sanchez at USC, but the Seahawks recently re-signed Tarvaris Jackson to back up Russell Wilson. Former Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer has the same role with the Rams.
St. Louis seems committed to Sam Bradford as its starter, but Sanchez would get strong consideration as a backup there. Bears quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh worked with Sanchez for the first four years of his career with the Jets and could sell the Bears on being Jay Cutler’s backup. Chicago lost Josh McCown this offseason to the Buccaneers.
Sanchez is just 27 and has four road playoff wins on his resume. His surgically repaired right shoulder is progressing nicely and he has begun throwing. He is sure to draw interest from a few teams, just not as many as he would have 10 days ago.