And Then There Were Four: David Garrard Quits Jets QB Derby

When the Jets drafted Geno Smith, it gave them a whopping six quarterbacks. Six, in the absence of some uncharacteristic once-in-a-generation innovation springing forth from the mind of Marty Mornhinweg, was too many quarterbacks. So, to get to five, the Jets dumped Tim Tebow. And today there are four.

Veteran David Garrard told reporters and teammates today that he planned to depart the Jets; Garrard, who texted with SNY's Adam Schein, blamed his knee and says retirement will come shortly. Garrard had signed with the Jets—and passed a physical—in March. He was planning to compete for the starting job against Mark Sanchez and rookie Geno Smith, with Greg McElroy and Matt Simms around as possible backups.

While Garrard's departure does clear up the Jets' logjam, he's probably not the one the team wanted to lose. Garrard made his first NFL roster in 2002, so he had years of film study and game experience under his belt. With Garrard out, the most senior Jets quarterback is—ugh? really?—Sanchez.

Image via AP.