Sanchez Will Remain A Jet

Love him or hate him, Mark Sanchez is here to stay.

Kind of.

On Friday night, the New York Jets announced they had extended Sanchez's contract through 2016. The new deal, which makes Sanchez the 7th highest paid quarterback in the league, officially takes the team out of the running for free agent Peyton Manning.

As a Jets fan I couldn't be happier with this decision. Here's why:

1. Super Bowl or Bust - After taking the Jets to the AFC Championship game 2 years in a row many fans adopted a "third time's a charm" attitude. With that mentality, anything less than a Super Bowl ring would be unacceptable. Yes, last season's 8-8 finish was a lackluster performance but certainly not a reason to replace Sanchez. If everyone played as "the experts" predicted they would, Tim Tebow would have never seen a snap.

2. The Sparano Situation - With the departure of Brian Schottenheimer, the Jets look to return to the "ground and pound" and have a new Offensive Coordinator who can get the job done. If they can acquire players who both compliment Shonn Greene and protect Mark Sanchez (like free agents Ronnie Brown or Mike Tolbert) they will be a serious threat. Establishing a run game will take pressure off of Sanchez and a relaxed quarterback is a more productive quarterback.

3. Rex Ryan - In 2009, Ryan traded up to draft Mark Sanchez with the 5th overall pick. To abandon Sanchez now would be admitting he made a mistake. Do you honestly think the man who guarantees a Super Bowl win every season is going to say he was wrong?

While the last 3 years of the contract extension aren't guaranteed, it looks like #6 will remain under center and in New York for at least 2 more seasons.

How do you feel about Mark Sanchez remaining the starting quarterback for the Jets?