New York Jets extend contract of QB Mark Sanchez till 2016 - NFL News
New York Jets poured water on every neutral fans dream of watching a sibling rivalry heating up an already huge rivalry between the Jets and New York Giants in the new season after extending the contract of quarterback, Mark Sanchez, and bowing out of the race for Peyton Manning.
The team announced their decision on Friday, extending the quarterbacks contract to three additional years and with Sanchez’s current contract having two more years left the whole package will keep the quarterback in New York till the 2016-17 season.
General manager, Mike Tannenbaum, confirmed the deal to the Jets official website and in a statement said that negotiations to extend the quarterback’s stay in New York were going on for a long period.
"I'm really excited to announce we've reached an agreement in principle on a contract extension with Mark. Mark's a guy we identified that we wanted to sign to an extension. It started several weeks ago. Mark's our starter and we're excited about 2012.”
Sanchez himself ended his recent silence and released his own statement detailing how happy he was to remain a Jet for the long-term.
"It meant the world to me to be drafted by the New York Jets and play these past three years here. This is one of the greatest cities in the country. And to find out that I'm coming back back for three more years means so much me. I'm absolutely pleased to be a Jet."
The extension means the end of any chances that the Jets would sign Peyton Manning in the upcoming free agency even though both head coach, Rex Ryan, and Tannenbaum had previously expressed interest in bringing the future Hall of Famer to the franchise.
That leaves just Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, Denver Broncos, Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs to duke it out for the four-time National Football League (NFL) Most Valuable Player (MVP).
Sanchez’s new contract according to sources will be worth a total of $ 68.25 million over the entire five years and it makes him the seventh highest paid quarterback in the league.
The 25-year-old had come under criticism during and after the end of last season with the Jets self imploding in their run for a playoff spot.
The season was marred by spats between wide receiver Santonio Holmes and Sanchez while other players also came out in public to question the quarterback’s leadership.
New York Jets ended the season 8-8 and missed out on the playoffs for the first time under coach Rex Ryan but now they will be looking to bounce back in 2012-13.
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