We have heard it before and we’ll hear it at least a dozen more times before the offseason comes to a close: the NFL is a business. When Drew Stanton signed with the Jets last week he did so knowing he was No. 2 on the depth chart. Although Mark Sanchez recently received a hefty contract extension, Stanton had to be wondering if he would get his shot if Sanchez’s mediocre play continued next season. Now, that’s not going to happen. Despite the fact that the Jets reportedly assured Stanton they wouldn’t add another quarterback, they went out and signed the game’s biggest celebrity.
“The person they just signed to be their No. 2 quarterback, Drew Stanton, he was promised by General Manager Mike Tannenbaum that they weren’t going to get any other quarterbacks, that they weren’t going to draft a quarterback or get a Tim Tebow,” Jason La Canfora said on NFL Network according to Pro Football Talk. “That’s how they lured Stanton there, with the allure of ‘You’re our No. 2.’ There’s a very good chance Drew Stanton asks for his release or a trade.”
Over the course of a week, Stanton went from next in line behind an unproven starter to buried on the depth chart beneath a recently-extended starter and the most popular backup quarterback in NFL history. If he was naive enough to think an NFL team would stick to their word, that’s his own fault. Things change.
La Canfora also mentioned that Sanchez does not want Tebow in New York. But wait, I thought they were buddies?
