As the New York Jets and Tampa Bay Buccaneers continue to discuss a trade that would send All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis to Florida, Mark Sanchez has been discussed as possible baggage to send off as well, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.
Darrelle Revis trade rumors: Could Mark Sanchez be part of deal with Buccaneers?
Mark Sanchez counts over $12 million against the cap in each of the next four seasons, but the Buccaneers may have the cap room to absorb the contract.
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The benefits of trading Sanchez are obvious for the Jets, as the 2009 first-round pick is one of the highest paid players on the team, despite finishing the 2012 season with an abysmal 66.9 passer rating. Florio wrote:
Yes, Sanchez. He has a guaranteed base salary of $8.25 million for 2013. If he didn’t, Sanchez would have been cut by now. If the Jets could unload that obligation, they’d surely jump at the chance.
As noted by Florio, the question really isn’t whether or not the Jets would like to make the trade, but whether or not it’s a move that makes sense for the Buccaneers. At first glance it wouldn’t be at all, as Tampa Bay would be on the hook for the final four seasons left on the large contract extension of a quarterback, who certainly hasn’t played well enough to justify it.
Mark Sanchez salary cap hit
Contract numbers via Spotrac:2013: $12,853,125
2014: $13,100,000
2015: $15,600,000
2016: $13,850,000
However, the Buccaneers have a tremendous amount of cap space to work with, as their $32.8 million in cap room is the second-most in the NFL, by the most recent release from the NFLPA. That doesn’t mean that the team is going to throw it over to Sanchez just for the sake of it, but it could give them an interesting negotiating ploy.
By most reports, it will cost the Buccaneers the No. 13 selection in the 2013 NFL Draft to acquire Revis, but unloading Sanchez to Tampa Bay could be an enticing enough thought to convince the Jets that its worth settling for less in draft capital.
As crazy of a trade as it would seem to be, the unloading of both Revis and Sanchez to the Buccaneers would clear a ton of cap space for the Jets and allow new general manager John Idzik to work with much clearer books even if that means passing on the addition of another first-round pick. It would also allow the Buccaneers to acquire a three-time All-Pro to add to their secondary at a much lighter cost.
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