Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez wants free agent receivers Santonio Holmes, Braylon Edwards and Brad Smith to stay in New York. And he’s willing to take a hit on his own contract if it helps contracts for Holmes, Edwards and Smith to get done.
“Whatever it takes, whether it’s adjusting contracts, delaying payment, whatever we have to do, our team will do it,” Sanchez said today, in comments distributed by the team. “I know that. We’ll be unselfish with it. We’ll get it figured out.”
Asked to clarify whether that meant he had considered making changes to his own contract to help the team’s salary cap situation, Sanchez answered, “Absolutely, and my agent’s already talked to me about it. Whatever we need to do to win, it’s on. I think our whole team feels that way. If it’s [Darrelle] Revis, me, whoever--it doesn’t matter. So, we’ll do whatever we can.”
Sanchez never actually said he’d be willing to take less money to keep his receivers, but he’s at least willing to re-structure his deal, if that helps. (We’re not sure if Revis is actually willing to do the same, or if Sanchez just thinks Revis would be willing to do the same.)
“It’s important,” Sanchez said of continuity at receiver. “It was such a luxury to have both [Edwards and Holmes] last year. It’s almost unrealistic to have that kind of a receiving corps again. But whichever guys we get back, it’s going to be them playing really well . . . whether we have Braylon and Santonio and Brad, or one of the three, two of the three--whatever it is.”
