The Fan Hub

The ugly public spat between Mark Sanchez and Santonio Holmes following the New York Jets final regular season loss in which the star wideout was benched at the end of the game, it seemed that the two sides were heading for an ugly divorce. But the problem with the Jets cutting their diva receiver was his contract. A free agent this past offseason, Holmes re-signed with the Jets on a 5-year deal worth nearly $50 million, including $24 million in guaranteed money. Cutting a player so early into such a big contract would have had momentous cap ramifications for the Jets, so it became clear that they were more or less stuck with him.

It became official on Wednesday when the New York Post reported that Holmes’ contract also contains a clause that guarantees him $7.5 million of his $11 million 2013 salary if he was still on the roster Wednesday morning.

Holmes’ apparent disinterest while on the field in the Week 17 loss to the Dolphins led to his benching and public comments from teammates like LaDainian Tomlinson about his poor attitude in the locker room and his frosty relationship with Sanchez. But not only are the Jets stuck with Holmes now, but the fact that they still owe him $15.25 million in guaranteed money could mean that they’ll have trouble adding players at other key positions.

The Jets already suffer from paying Holmes like a number one receiver when his career numbers show him to be more suited to a number two role. But they also need to address deficiencies at offensive line, running back, wide receiver, linebacker, and maybe even quarterback, but may not have the cap space to do so.