Mark Sanchez had shoulder surgery on Tuesday, effectively ending his career as a Jets quarterback. He will be remembered mainly for the buttfumble last Thanksgiving night against the Patriots at MetLife Stadium, but his four-plus years in the pilot’s seat of the Jets offense were marked by many ups and downs.
Here are the best of both:
2009
* Selected with the No. 5 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft, after the Jets traded two picks and three players to the Browns to move up 12 spots. His coach at USC, Pete Carroll, says Sanchez is not ready for the NFL and should have stayed in school.
* Signs the largest contract in Jets history: Five years, $50 million with $28 million guaranteed.
* Named the Jets’ starting quarterback, the first rookie to have that job since Dick Jamieson in the franchise’s inaugural season of 1960.
* Wins the first game of Rex Ryan Era, throwing a touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey in a 24-7 win at Houston.
* Leads the Jets to a 3-0 start after victories over New England and Tennessee.
* The Jets lose six of next seven games, lowlighted by a 99-yard pick-6 in Week 4 in New Orleans and a five-interception game vs. Buffalo. The one win in that stretch is a 38-0 laugher at Oakland, but Sanchez is spotted eating a hot dog on the sideline after being taken out. Two weeks later, he reads a prepared statement after a 24-22 home loss to Jacksonville. And in the final game of the 1-6 slide, he throws four interceptions vs. New England, prompting Ryan to install a red-light, green-light system for his throwing decisions.
* The Jets win four of their final five, including the last two at Indianapolis and Cincinnati, two playoff-bound teams that rested their starters.
* Completes 12 of 15 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown in a 24-14 win at Cincinnati in the AFC Wild Card round.
* Has one touchdown pass, one interception and 100 yards in a 17-14 win at San Diego in the AFC Divisional round.
* Touchdown passes of 80 yards to Braylon Edwards and 9 yards to Dustin Keller lift the Jets to a 17-6 lead over Indianapolis in the AFC Championship game, but Peyton Manning’s Colts roar back for a 30-17 victory.
2010
* Dates “Sopranos” actress Jamie-Lynn Sigler during the offseason, breaking up over the quarterback’s wandering eye, according to Page Six.
* Starts the season with no interceptions in his first five games, and even though he throws two in Week 6 in Denver, the Jets’ win to run their record to 5-1.
* Throws two more interceptions in a 9-0 home loss to Green Bay, then leads three comeback wins in a row — against Detroit, Cleveland and Houston — before a 26-10 win over Cincinnati makes the Jets 9-2.
* Plays poorly (three more INTs) in a 33-17 loss to Miami, prompting Ryan to give backup Mark Brunell some first-team practice reps. Sanchez responds the next week with a 22-17 win at Pittsburgh, playing with an injured shoulder.
* Beats Peyton Manning on the road in the AFC Wild Card round, 17-16.
* Throws three touchdowns to knock off Tom Brady in Foxborough, 28-21, to send the Jets to their second AFC Championship game in a row.
* Sixty minutes from the Super Bowl, he gets the Jets off to a disastrous start in Pittsburgh. The Steelers go up 24-0 after William Gay returns Sanchez’s fumble 19 yards for a touchdown. He throws TD passes to Santonio Holmes and Jerricho Cotchery, but the Jets fall short, 23-17.
2011
* Named team captain prior to the season. Featured on cover and inside the September issue of GQ. Pictures include steamy shots with supermodel Hilary Rhoda. Green Bay QB Aaron Rodgers calls the spread “embarrassing.”
* Linked to Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Kate Upton. Not embarrassing.
* Has a terrible Week 4 game in Baltimore, going 11-for-35 with an interception.
* Throws a brutal pick-6 at Denver, giving Tim Tebow a chance to lead the Broncos to a last-minute, 17-13 victory.
* The Jets blow shot at playoffs with December losses against the Eagles, the Giants and Dolphins, and a lost season is punctuated by a flare-up in the huddle with Holmes during the Dolphins game.
2012
* His job security is threatened when the Jets curiously acquire Tebow in a March trade with Denver.
* Agrees to a three-year contract extension that includes $20 million in guaranteed money.
* Dates actress Eva Longoria, then 37, for three months before splitting over their 12-year age difference, according to reports.
* Throws three TD passes in a 48-28 win over Buffalo in the season opener.
* Fumbles at end of game in Foxborough, costing the Jets a chance to upset the Patriots.
* Falls apart in Seattle, going 9-of-22 in a 28-7 loss that drops the Jets to 3-6.
* On Thanksgiving night, while running upfield with the ball, crashes face-first into the backside of guard Brandon Moore. His fumble is returned 32 yards for a touchdown by New England’s Steve Gregory. The infamous video wins a weekly highlight contest on ESPN before ultimately being retired as an undefeated champion.
* Throws three interceptions against Arizona and is removed in favor of Greg McElroy, who leads an ugly 7-6 win.
* Leads a lackluster 17-10 win at Jacksonville, then is benched for McElroy for a home loss to San Diego.
* Gets starting job back and melts down in Tennessee, throwing four interceptions and fumbling away the Jets’ last chance to make the playoffs.
2013
* Ryan admits to having a tattoo that appears to show Mrs. Ryan wearing only a No. 6 Sanchez jersey.
* Jets draft West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith in the second round.
* In June, video surfaces showing Sanchez dancing pants-less with two women at a Napa house party.
* With Sanchez apparently leading the competition to be the starting quarterback, he is inserted in the fourth quarter of a preseason game against the Giants, gets leveled by Marvin Austin and injures his right shoulder. Ryan claims he was trying to win the game, which was for the illustrious Snoopy Bowl, by playing Sanchez.
* Placed on injured reserve in September with a designation to return.
* Undergoes surgery Oct. 8 to repair a torn labrum, ending his season and effectively his Jets career.