National Football League

Front Office Insider: Could Mark Sanchez set pace for free-agent QBs in 2015?

Published Nov. 5, 2014 11:06 a.m. ET

Ross Jones

The long-term future for quarterback Mark Sanchez could be decided over the course of the next two months.

Sanchez, 27, starting in place of injured Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Nick Foles, is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.

Foles, of course, sustained a crack to his clavicle during a Week 9 win against the Houston Texans and is expected to miss 6-to-8 weeks, FOX Sports 1's NFL insider Mike Garafolo reported on Monday. One medical source told FOXSports.com that if Foles had opted to undergo surgery and have the non-displaced fracture plated, the third-year quarterback would've been able to return in as soon as four weeks. Of course, there are no exact timetables, and there are inherent risks when choosing surgery over healing naturally.

However long Foles is sidelined, Sanchez will benefit from leading an offense in which he is surrounded by the most talent he has played with in his six-year career.

Making a full recovery from a torn labrum this past offseason, Sanchez signed a one-year, $2.25 million deal that includes playing time incentives. Though Sanchez likely will not trigger the additional money in his current deal, the true incentive is getting an opportunity to start for an extended period of time and then hitting the open market. The other scenario is the highly unlikely event of getting the franchise tag, which currently is projected at around $18 million a season.

Earning nearly $60 million over the first five years of his career after the Jets made him the No. 5 overall pick in the 2009 draft, Sanchez was afforded the luxury of taking a short-term, prove-it deal. Now, Sanchez seems ready to reap the rewards of operating Chip Kelly's offense, a system dating back to the coach's days at the University of Oregon that has adapted to the skillset of his players and consistently produced efficient passers.

"I feel great about Mark," Kelly told reporters this week. "We felt great about him all along. One of the things we wanted to do -- I always said we needed two quarterbacks and had a chance to get him in here. I thought he's done a great job in our system."

When St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford went down with a knee injury in the preseason, rumors grew of a potential reunion between Sanchez and former New York Jets offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer. Instead, the idea of a trade was quickly put to rest as the Eagles felt good about having two capable players at the position.

In fact, three team sources agreed with the notion Sanchez has met and even exceeded the play of Foles in practice. The concern with Sanchez, though, is always interceptions -- he has 71 in his career, against 70 TD passes.

During the preseason, Sanchez showcased a strong arm, good accuracy and smart decision making -- albeit against vanilla defenses. If Sanchez stood alone on his preseason tape, there would have been suitors this upcoming offseason.

Starting quarterbacks don't typically hit free agency. Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim noted last month that he and quarterback Carson Palmer's representatives have had some dialogue about an extension. The Cleveland Browns, however, have had "zero" interest in negotiating for a long-term deal with quarterback Brian Hoyer, according to an ESPN.com report.

That leaves Ryan Mallett, Michael Vick, Jake Locker, Christian Ponder and possibly Hoyer likely highlighting the 2015 free-agent quarterback class.

Though Sanchez wouldn't generate near the interest Peyton Manning did in 2012, a strong showing over the rest of the season could rebuild his image and even net him a chance to be a full-time starter in the league.

One Cardinal who should benefit from team's success

Every year, good players on contenders get overpaid in free agency. No player on the Cardinals might benefit more from the team's 7-1 start than defensive tackle Dan Williams.

Williams, a 2010 first-round pick, is playing in the final year of his rookie deal and has proven to be a key cog on the team's defensive front. In last Sunday's win, Williams and defensive end Calais Campbell manhandled the Cowboys at the point of attack.

"It's rare to find players with Williams' size (6-foot-2, 230) who can move over the center and penetrate outside," an NFL personnel director told FOXSports.com this week.

There is some belief Williams could be eyeing a larger deal than the ones fetched this past year by Colts defensive tackle Arthur Jones (five years, $33 million), Falcons nose tackle Paul Soliai (five years, $33 million) and Giants defensive tackle Linval Joseph (five years, $31.5 million). With the salary cap projected to balloon to about $140 million, players like Williams are surely set to reap the rewards. Of course, the Cardinals could always give Williams the franchise tag, but paying him a projected $10 million for one season could be tough to swallow.

Where does 2013 QB draft class stack up?

Over the short span of 18 months, the polish has come off the quarterback class of the 2013 NFL Draft.

After the benching of Bills quarterback E.J. Manuel and Jets quarterback Geno Smith this season, the one remaining starter selected in that class was Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon, who started 13 games as a rookie, lost the job in the offseason to free-agent addition Josh McCown, got it back for five games and this week lost it again to McCown.

"Yes, whenever any position is struggling during the course of the game, you look (to see if there is) a better option at the time," head coach Lovie Smith told reporters this week. "I didn't think that Mike played -- I thought Mike would be able to come out of it."

Though the 2013 NFL Draft class might not be worse than the ones from 1996 (David Klingler, Tommy Maddox) and 2007 (Vince Young, Matt Leinart), it certainly is making its case.

Also, it seems that quarterbacks aren't getting the long leash they once did. And that's especially true when a new front office and coaching staff take over, as they have in Tampa Bay.