New York Jets: 5 NFL QBs Who Would Be Better Fits Than Mark Sanchez

The alleged rumblings out of the New York Jets locker room are increasing, with the ire now being focused towards quarterback Mark Sanchez.

According to the New York Daily News, Sanchez's teammates think he is lazy, has an unearned sense of entitlement and hasn't improved in his three seasons with the team.

If these are sentiments echoed by the team's coaching staff and management, it's quite possible that Sanchez's time in New York is quickly running out.

Should that be the case, here are five quarterbacks that would suit the Jets far better than Sanchez has in his tenure with the team.

Note that the majority of them are free agents in 2012; of course someone like Aaron Rodgers would be an upgrade for any team, but that's an impossibility and thus not worth exploring.

Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts

It's certain that a number of teams are closely following the developments in Indianapolis this offseason.

The Colts are likely selecting Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck with their No. 1 pick in the 2012 NFL draft, leaving Peyton Manning's future with the team and in the league very much up in the air.

If he proves healthy enough to play in 2012 and the Colts release him from his contract, then the Jets are just one of a number of potential landing spots for the future Hall of Famer.

In the aforementioned New York Daily News article detailing Jets players' frustrations with quarterback Mark Sanchez, Manning's name came up a number of times. It appears that certain players are more than open to the possibility of the Jets pursuing Manning and ditching Sanchez.

The Manning-to-New-York rumor has been circulating for a few days now, even after Jets head coach Rex Ryan denied the team having any interest in making a move for him.

Manning's track record of success and reliably high level of play would be a significant upgrade for a Jets team that has been aerially-challenge since Sanchez became the team's starter in 2009.

He'd provide much-needed leadership in the locker room and give the Jets their best chance to compete against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots, at least from an offensive standpoint.

But it doesn't seem likely that if Manning plays for a team other than the Colts in 2012, it will be for the Jets.

Ryan's personality doesn't seem to be a good fit for the controlling Manning and already league sources are saying that there is zero chance of Manning being a Jet in the upcoming season.

If that changes, however, and the Jets attempt to woo him, there are few better free-agent prospects they could bring on to replace the disappointing Sanchez.

Jason Campbell, Oakland Raiders

Quarterback Jason Campbell spent the 2011 season with the Oakland Raiders, but he played only six games before suffering a broken collarbone that sidelined him for the rest of the year.

With the Raiders choosing to trade for former Cincinnati Bengal Carson Palmer and signing him to a long-term deal, it's clear that Campbell's time in Oakland is over. He will be a free agent once the new league year begins in March and should be one of the hottest quarterback commodities on the market.

Through his six games this year, Campbell completed 60.6 percent of his passes for 1,170 yards, threw six touchdowns and four interceptions and ran for two more scores.

Campbell's statistics are comparable to Sanchez's, but he has greater arm strength, is more decisive in the pocket and is willing to put in the work necessary to improve.

At the very least, he'd be less of a lightning rod for media attention and would be a less polarizing figure in the locker room.

Matt Flynn, Green Bay Packers

Thanks to his eye-popping Week 17 performance against the Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn is going to be one of the most sought-after free agents in 2012.

In that game, he completed 31 of his 44 passes for 480 yards, six touchdowns and one interception, leading some to believe he's another incarnation of Packers starter Aaron Rodgers.

Whether Flynn's success was a one-time fluke or if he truly possesses the talent to put up performances like that on a regular basis, it's certainly proven more than enough for rumors to swirl about which teams are interested in offering him a contract.

With Sanchez under center, the Jets have been forced to be a run-first offense. As soon as Sanchez is forced to throw more than 25 times per game, the team is in trouble of losing. That wouldn't be the case with Flynn, whose arm is his greatest asset.

Flynn is untested, to be sure, but if he's even half as dynamic as he appeared in Week 17, he'd be a major upgrade from the uninspiring Sanchez.

Chad Henne, Miami Dolphins

Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne spent most of the 2011 season on injured reserve after suffering a shoulder injury in Week 4.

While it's thus unknown how successful he would have been this year if he played a full 16 games, he's done enough in the course of his career with the Dolphins that he will be an in-demand free-agent prospect this offseason.

Henne's statistics aren't that much different than Sanchez's. In 2010, when Henne started 15 games to Sanchez's 16, Henne was averaging 220.1 passing yards per game, had a 61.4 completion percentage and threw 15 touchdowns to 19 interceptions.

In that time, Sanchez was averaging 205.7 yards per game, completed 54.8 percent of his passes and threw 17 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.

While it seems counterproductive for the Jets to replace Sanchez with a quarterback like Henne, who has just a slight yardage advantage over Sanchez and has yet to throw fewer interceptions than touchdowns, he does possess qualities that Sanchez doesn't.

He's far less polarizing to his teammates (though not to his team's fans), he's unassuming, doesn't seek out the spotlight and seems poised to break out at any moment.

Bill Barnwell of Grantland (formerly of Football Outsiders) likens him to a Drew Brees type who just needs the right situation to achieve that level of greatness.

At least Henne is worth developing; Sanchez's development seems frozen in place.

Greg McElroy, New York Jets

New York Jets backup quarterback Greg McElroy may have been selected in the seventh round of the 2011 NFL draft, and he may have spent the 2011 season on injured reserve after undergoing thumb surgery in early September, but he was drafted for a reason.

If that reason was to someday supplant starter Mark Sanchez, perhaps the team might want to spend additional time with McElroy and work on his development in the offseason, especially if their patience with Sanchez has grown thin.

In 2010, his senior season at Alabama, McElroy completed 70.9 percent of his passes for 2,987 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. He's intelligent, clearly talented and though just a seventh-round pick, could be a diamond in the rough that is the Jets depth chart.

McElroy recently slammed the toxic culture in the Jets locker room, making people question his judgement. Whether or not you believe that as a rookie, McElroy spoke out of turn, it likely didn't earn him any enemies, considering the reports that suggest a number of his teammates agree with him.

If the Jets want to move on from Sanchez, perhaps they don't have to look any further than their own roster to find his replacement.