Mark Sanchez Trade: Jets will Likely Move Sanchez and Make Tebow the Starting Quarterback

The Jets continue to show a lack of support for their starting quarterback.

First, the Jets contacted Peyton Manning, hoping to sign the future Hall of Famer. When New York's offer was rebuffed, they signed Mark Sanchez to a contract extension.

The move was expected to solidify Sanchez as the Jets starting quarterback for the next few years.

Soon after, the Jets put Sanchez's job in jeopardy, once again, with the trade for Tim Tebow.

The Jets claim Sanchez is still their starter, and Tebow will be his backup. New York general manager Mike Tannenbaum says Sanchez doesn't have to worry about his job security.

Mark Sanchez is, has been and will be our starting quarterback. We're adding Tim to be our backup and be used in other packages, he said. Every quarterback in the NFL has a backup, we just changed who ours is and we feel good about it.

The Jets won't deny that Tebow will get a lot of playing time. The quarterback will be used in New York's Wildcat offense, and head coach Rex Ryan indicated that Tebow could be on the field for as many as 20 plays in a game.

I don't see Tim just holding a clipboard, Ryan added. He's going to be playing for us. There is no doubt.

What starting quarterback sits 20 plays per game?

In the Super Bowl, the Patriots ran 62 plays. Theoretically, Sanchez could be on the bench for one-third of the team's snaps. That's unheard of for a starter in the NFL.

It wouldn't be a big leap for one to assume that the Jets plan to eventually make Tebow the starter.

The Jets brought in the most popular player in the NFL to backup Sanchez. New York has shown no confidence in their starter over the past few months and there have been rumors that the team doesn't feel he is a long-term solution.

Even some of the Jets players have questioned whether or not the team can win with Sanchez. After the season ended, anonymous Jets players called the starter lazy and said New York needed another quarterback to make Sanchez work harder at practice.

That feeling seems to be echoed throughout the organization.

The Jets won't replace Sanchez right away.

After constantly reminding the media that Tebow wasn't brought to New York to be the starter, Sanchez will certainly have a chance to keep his job. But after a few bad games, there's a very good chance Tebow will get a shot to lead the team.

If the Jets replace Sanchez, they will probably look to trade him. He's still young and would have some value on the trade market to a team that isn't stable at the quarterback position.

Sanchez met with the media following Tebow's press conference on Monday. He said he's not worried about losing his job to the newest Jet.

We're adding another player and were not replacing anybody. I mean, he's here to help us and I'm confident in my abilities. I know the team feels the same way about me. They have belief in me. ... I'm not worried about losing my spot.

After acquiring Tebow, Rex Ryan stated, I feel better about our QB situation than I ever have since I've been here.

Maybe that's because Mark Sanchez's replacement is on the roster.