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Does the Jets' quarterback situation make your head spin? Welcome to the club. The last 18 months have been like a ride on the Coney Island Cyclone. We're talking about nine quarterbacks, three free-agent signings, three cuts, two trades, one draft pick, one retirement and one contract extension. Pop a dramamine, and relive the madness: UNDER GM MIKE TANNENBAUM March 12, 2012: The Jets profess their faith in Mark Sanchez, rewarding a mediocre season with a three-year contract extension -- a total package of five years, $58 million. March 16: They sign former Lions backup Drew Stanton to serve as Sanchez's primary backup, giving him a $500,000 signing bonus. March 22: Stunning the NFL, the Jets trade for Tim Tebow and name him the No. 2 backup. Hello, quarterback controversy. Stanton immediately requests his release. March 24: Stanton is traded to the Colts. He makes a half-million bucks for a week of doing nothing. 2012 season: Pick a day, any day. Dysfunction reigns throughout the season. UNDER GM JOHN IDZIK March 12, 2013: On the one-year anniversary of their commitment to Sanchez, the Jets sign veteran David Garrard to compete with Sanchez for the starting job. Team officials are blown away by his workout, downplaying (or ignoring) his chronic knee condition. Privately, they say he has a good chance to win the job. April 27: They draft Geno Smith in the second round, changing the landscape of the position. Idzik, with a straight face, calls it an open competition with six QBs -- Smith, Sanchez, Tebow, Garrard, Greg McElroy and neophyte Matt Simms. April 30: After showing up for two weeks of off-season workouts, Tebow finally gets his release -- a foregone conclusion. May 15: Unable to make it through a month of OTAs, Garrard announces his retirement, citing chronic knee pain -- an unexpected snag in Idzik's grand plan. Aug. 9: Smith sprains an ankle in his first preseason game. Another snag. Aug. 24: Sanchez suffers a significant shoulder injury because of Rex Ryan's controversial decision to play him in the fourth quarter behind the second-team line -- yet another snag in the plan. This time, it's a $715,000 mistake. Read on. Aug. 28: The Jets sign Packers castoff Graham Harrell, giving them five quarterbacks. The depth chart is growing at a time when most teams are cutting down. Aug. 31: McElroy is waived with an injury. Simms, their best quarterback in the preseason, makes the 53-man roster. Sept. 1: The Jets quietly fly the well-traveled Brady Quinn into town for a workout. Sept. 2: With Sanchez expected to miss a few weeks, the Jets sign Quinn to a one-year deal, probably for the $715,000 veteran minimum. Harrell is released. Quinn is expected to open the season as the No. 2 quarterback, essentially filling Tebow's role. That's interesting because Quinn wasn't good enough to beat out Tebow in 2011 with the Broncos. This can only happen to the Jets.
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