Jets Reportedly Sign Mark Sanchez to Contract Extension

The New York Jets have signed quarterback Mark Sanchez to a contract extension, according to ESPN New York.

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Mark Sanchez has signed contract extension with team, per @NewYorkJets. No terms disclosed.

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) March 10, 2012"

After reportedly dropping out of the race for free-agent quarterback Peyton Manning on Friday night, the team decided to give Sanchez a vote of confidence following a disappointing 8-8 season in which New York failed to make the playoffs.

Let's look at how this signing impacts the Jets moving forward.

What it Means

Showing Sanchez that the team is committed to making him the quarterback of the future will certainly help his confidence after he received a lot of criticism this past season for his inconsistent performances.

The Jets wisely resisted the temptation to make a quick fix at the quarterback position by choosing not to pursue Manning, and they will now continue to develop Sanchez. Sanchez has his faults, but he's still only 25 years old and has a ton of talent.

After three NFL seasons, he's 4-2 in the postseason, including four roads wins. That's an impressive resume for a young quarterback playing under the bright lights of New York with constant criticism from the media.

What's Next

Sanchez is going to improve, and as he develops more chemistry with receivers such as Santonio Holmes, the Jets' offense will slowly start to get better.

Even in a season in which he played poorly at times, Sanchez still put up career highs in completion percentage, passing yards, touchdown passes and quarterback rating last year.

He's going to get better, and on a team with some talented offensive weapons, the Jets will once again be playoff contenders next season.

With the Jets giving a new contract extension to Sanchez, he can take comfort in the fact that the team supports him and believes he can lead them to the Super Bowl.

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