The New York Jets appeared the have forgotten about Mark Sanchez and that injured shoulder, but the quarterback has certainly not forgotten about his team. Not much has been heard of from the veteran since he opted to have surgery on his right shoulder to repair a torn labrum. Finally made available to media, Sanchez reassured everyone he is not going anywhere.
It has been eight weeks since Sanchez had surgery. The injury itself was met with plenty of controversy. At time, the Jets veteran was in competition with rookie Geno Smith. Head coach Rex Ryan opted to leave Sanchez in a preseason game deep into the fourth quarter to work behind an offensive line of backups. He was promptly sacked and has yet to play a snap since. However, rehab has Sanchez positive a strong return comes.
"It's been awesome," Sanchez said, via the New York Daily News. "Today is eight weeks out of surgery. Things are going really well. I'm progressing exactly the way they wanted. Haven't had any hiccups and I'll be back better than ever."
He will be back, but will it be with the Jets. Sanchez said there is certainly no rush on a return since having shoulder, but he is optimistic about returning before the four to six month window that is given as a general recovery time for his injury. Could he be looking to return and prove how healthy he is in order to avoid a trade that has reportedly been brewing since the team drafted Smith?
"It's been a dream come true to play here and I don't want to go anywhere else. So that's for sure. I know I have two years left [on my contract] and I don't ever want that to end. I don't want to go anywhere else," Sanchez said. "I plan on being here. That's all I'm thinking about, is coming back next year, leading this team and playing well. We'll see what happens."
The issue might not be Sanchez's health, but his contract size. The quarterback has two years remaining on a contract that is a significant salary cap hit. His 2014 salary exceeds $8.75 million. Sanchez notes that he has not talked to management about his contract, but the Jets could use the relief on cap in order to help build the team in other areas.
One thing saving Sanchez's future in New York is the recent drop off of Smith. The quarterback has seen his fair share of struggles lately. In the past two games, he has 10 interceptions and one touchdown, making his total 22 on the year. The Jets sit at 5-6 and Smith is putting up more games of single-digit completions. That type of progress has Ryan and others concerned about the future.
If Smith can pull himself together and finish the year on a positive note, then Sanchez is a lock to become a free agent. However, if the rookie continues to struggle, Sanchez could be back under center in green come next season.