Mark Sanchez underwent season-ending surgery on Tuesday afternoon.
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While it wasn’t a very well-kept secret, the Jets did officially announce yesterday evening that Mark Sanchez has undergone season-ending right shoulder surgery.
Sanchez injured the shoulder in the third preseason game on a hit from Giants defensive tackle Marvin Austin in the fourth quarter. Head coach Rex Ryan received criticism at the time for having his incumbent starter play behind a patchwork offensive line in meaningless action.
Dr. James Andrews, who consulted with Sanchez in the weeks after the injury, performed the surgery yesterday.
“After over seven weeks of hard work and intense rehab, I’ve been advised by Dr. Andrews and other doctors that my shoulder injury clearly needs to be addressed surgically,” Sanchez said in a statement. “The injury was recovering at an encouraging rate early on, and I avoided surgery as long as I could, but ultimately I was counseled by the doctors that they simply would have to repair my shoulder.
“I’m very disappointed that I can’t be out there to help my team on the field, but I’ll continue to help our team in whatever capacity I can.”
Sanchez has a career record of 33-29 in 62 starts over his four seasons in New York. The team re-signed him to a five-year extension prior to last season, but only $20.5 million was guaranteed. The team will have paid all of that money once the season is over, making the chances he is cut high coupled with Geno Smith’s early success.
Follow New York Sports Editor Mark Osborne on Twitter @MetroNYSports.
