The Sanchez Saga: Anatomy Of a Deal

On a balmy Southern California evening a month ago, a car pulled around the side of the posh St. Regis Resort in Dana Point to avoid all the media types and executives from the 31 other clubs gathered around the lobby.

Officials from the New York Jets whisked Mark Sanchez in the back door of the hotel and hurried him up to their suite. There, general manager Mike Tannenbaum, head coach Rex Ryan, and their staff interrogated Sanchez to find out what he knew about running a pro-style offense.

Apparently, it was quite a lot.

The upper echelon of the Jets had been intrigued by all the buzz about Sanchez. The way he stood up to his head coach Pete Carroll and would not back down from his decision to enter the NFL Draft, his superb performance at the NFL combine, and the tremendous confidence he showed at USC's pro day.

After quizzing Sanchez, they were even more intrigued by the dynamic young quarterback and his knowledge of the game. The only thing left was to see him in action. They agreed to meet him the next day at his high school in Mission Viejo to watch him throw.

When they were arrived, they were surprised to see nearly two dozen receivers had shown up to lend Sanchez a hand.

Ryan was overwhelmed. What was it about Sanchez that so many guys wanted to help him out on a moment’s notice?

"Guys were coming out of the woodwork to run routes for him," Ryan marveled. "He’s got that kind of leadership. We saw the great feet. We saw the poise and how confident he was."

But what they didn’t see was how they could possibly draft Sanchez with their No. 17 pick. After watching the kid, they knew he would never fall below 10 and would probably go much higher.

As April 25—Draft Day—approached, rumors about Sanchez were flying all over the place. Seattle wanted him at No. 4. St. Louis, at No. 2, was interested. Jacksonville at No. 8 with their coach Jack Del Rio, a USC alumnus, was in the mix. San Francisco at 10 and Denver at 12 were considering trading up.

Tannenbaum saw only one possible way of getting the quarterback from USC.

If Sanchez somehow got past St. Louis and Seattle, there was Cleveland at No. 5. They didn’t need another young quarterback; they already had Derek Anderson and Brady Quinn.

But Tannenbaum had fired Eric Mangini only months before, who was now the Browns’ new head coach. Could Tannenbaum convince him to trade down?

It was worth a shot.

It is a good idea never to burn bridges, and the drama surrounding the Sanchez pick is a perfect example. Tannenbaum and Mangini still maintained a cordial relationship, and Mangini knew the Jets’ personnel.

If anyone could see value in their players without demanding half the roster, it would be him.

On Friday, the eve of the NFL Draft, Tannebaum and Jets’ officials talked with Mangini and his staff to see if they could work out a deal. By the morning of the draft, they had had a deal finalized.

But what about St. Louis and Seattle? Were they in the process of trading down so another team could move up and take Sanchez? If the Jets stood any chance of drafting Sanchez, all the dominoes would have to fall into place.

After the pre-announced Matthew Stafford pick at No. 1 by the Lions, the Rams were on the clock. When St, Louis couldn’t find suitors who wanted to spend the high price tag to trade up to No. 2, the Rams took offensive tackle Jason Smith.

One down and one more to go.

Kansas City at No. 3 had already traded in the offseason for New England’s Matt Cassel, the former USC backup and now a close confidant to Sanchez. Seattle was the only roadblock that stood in the way of the Jets picking up Sanchez.

Seattle could pick Sanchez to replace Matt Hasselback at some point, or they could trade down. But when both St. Louis and Kansas City passed on linebacker Aaron Curry, the Seahawks at No. 4 decided to grab him.

That set the stage for the most dramatic move of the first round. The deal between the Jets and the Browns was announced just seconds before time was to run out on the fifth overall pick.

In exchange for the fifth pick, the Jets agreed to give Mangini their 17th pick, their second-round selection, and three players: defensive end Kenyon Coleman, safety Abram Elam, and the quarterback they drafted last year, Brett Ratliff.

Smiling from ear to ear, Sanchez donned the New York Jets cap. He was ready to fly to New York and become an instant celebrity.

With the Knicks once again out of the NBA Playoffs and the Yankees stumbling in their new stadium, New Yorkers were hoping for a new hero.

With the announcement of the deal with Cleveland, many Jets fans hearkend back to the time a young quarterback from Alabama led them to one of the greatest upsets in NFL and Super Bowl history.

Could this young quarterback from USC do the same? Only time will tell.