The disappointing Jets career of quarterback Mark Sanchez is likely over.
Sanchez underwent surgery on his right shoulder to repair a torn labrum Tuesday after putting it off for seven weeks. The surgery ends Sanchez’s season and almost certainly his time with the Jets. The team was expected to release him after this season even before the injury.
“After over seven weeks of hard work and intense rehab, I’ve been advised by Dr. [James] Andrews and other doctors that my shoulder injury clearly needs to be addressed surgically,” Sanchez said in a statement. “The injury was recovering at an encouraging rate early on and I avoided surgery as long as I could, but ultimately I was counseled by the doctors that they simply would have to repair my shoulder.”
Dr. Andrews performed the surgery Tuesday in Florida. Sanchez suffered the injury in a preseason game against the Giants in August when he was put in the game in the fourth quarter and Giants defensive tackle Marvin Austin drilled him.
The injury was a point of contention for Sanchez, who was furious the team put him in the game when it did. He shouted at general manager John Idzik in the trainer’s room after the game, according to witnesses.
There has been tension between the organization and Sanchez since then, according to sources.
Sanchez initially put off the surgery, hoping he could rehab the shoulder. The team put him on short-term IR with a designation to return in November.
“I’m very disappointed that I can’t be out there to help my team on the field, but I’ll continue to help our team in whatever capacity I can,” Sanchez said.
The Jets drafted Sanchez with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2009 draft, hoping he would be the franchise quarterback the team has been searching for since Joe Namath left town. The Jets made it to the AFC Championship Game in each of his first two years, as a strong running game and outstanding defense carried the team.
Sanchez had his moments and played well in both playoff runs. But things fell apart for him over the last two years. With a crumbling supporting cast and increased responsibility, Sanchez became a turnover machine. He had 52 combined turnovers in 2011-12, the most in the NFL over that time, including the infamous buttfumble on Thanksgiving night last year against the Patriots.
The Jets gave him a contract extension before the 2012 season and that guaranteed his $8.25 million salary for 2013, which kept him on the team. But the Jets moved on when they drafted Geno Smith in the second round of April’s draft.
The team staged a quarterback competition throughout the summer, but it was clear everyone in the organization was pulling for Smith to win the starting job so they could move on from Sanchez. The decision was made for them when Sanchez was injured.
Sanchez has a $13.1 million salary cap number for 2014, making it a certainty the Jets will release him. That will save the team $8.3 million against the cap. Sanchez will then hit the open market where he will be a second-tier free agent at the position. He is likely to wind up somewhere as a backup depending on how his recovery from surgery goes.
If this is the end for Sanchez in a Jets uniform, he finished as the No. 6 career passing leader in team history with 12,092 yards, sixth in touchdown passes with 68 and fourth in interceptions with 69.