Jets Quarterback Mark Sanchez Willing to Rework Contract in Effort to Help Team Bolster Roster

by Ricky Doyle on Tue, Jul 26, 2011 at 11:01PM

New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez has come within one win of the Super Bowl in each of his first two seasons in the league. Now, he wants to get over the hump so badly that he's willing to rework his contract.

Sanchez has already had discussions with his agent about restructuring his contract if it means the Jets will be able to put together a stronger team for the upcoming season.

"Absolutely, and my agent's already talked to me about it," Sanchez told ESPN.com. "Whatever we need to do to win, it's on. I think our whole team feels that way, [Darrelle] Revis, me, whoever, it doesn't matter."

Sanchez signed a five-year deal with the Jets in 2009. It includes $29 million in guarantees, and incentives could make the deal reach $60 million.

The NFL salary cap is set at $120 million per team for 2011, so a reworked contract for Sanchez could help the Jets become more aggressive when it comes to acquiring new players or re-signing their own free agents.

According to ESPN.com, Sanchez may not necessarily have to take a pay cut, though. The new collective bargaining agreement could allow for Sanchez to have a portion of his base salary of $13.5 million converted into a signing bonus — which would be pro-rated and a lessen the salary cap hit.

But ESPN also reports that it's still unclear as to whether the NFL will allow Sanchez to restructure his deal since the Jets quarterback has only two years of service time thus far.