New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez will be nearly impossible to trade during the offseason because of the $8.25 million in guaranteed money he's due next year. It's also almost impossible to imagine the Jets just releasing Sanchez.
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Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com reports that the Jets would swallow a $17.1 million cap charge if they released Sanchez. So they'd essentially have to pay Sanchez to be a quality starter and eat a salary-cap equivalent to an elite starter. And they'd get nothing in return.
The Jets could decide to spread that $17.1 million over two seasons ($12.35 million in 2013 and $4.8 million in 2014), but the cap hit is just outrageous. Trading Sanchez could lessen the charge, but it's hard to imagine any team taking him on unless the Jets chipped in to pay a large portion of his contract.