The Facts: HC Rex Ryan said Mark Sanchez would begin the offseason program as the team's starting quarterback, but he made it clear that Sanchez's hold on the position is not guaranteed. "The first snap, he'll be the guy running out there first," Ryan said Tuesday morning at the NFL owners meetings. "But there's going to be competition at that spot, there's no question about it. We need to get better at the quarterback position."

Diehards Line:Ryan also said that Tim Tebow, Sanchez's backup for most of last year, would get the opportunity to compete. "He's on the roster, and he'll get a chance to compete," Ryan said of Tebow. "We'll see how the offseason plays out, but right now Tim is on our roster. ..." A league source indicated to ESPN.com's Rich Cimini on Tuesday, however, that nothing has changed with regard to Tebow's status on the team. The Jets are holding out hope they can trade him and are in no rush to do so. They could stretch the process out to the draft, but failing a trade, the Jets will release him, the source said. The Jets brought in veteran David Garrard to provide competition for Sanchez, who was the unchallenged starter at the position for his first three years in the league before his 2012 struggles led to the temporary elevation of Greg McElroy to the spot. Ryan also was asked about the idea of adding Kevin Kolb, recently released by Arizona, to the mix at quarterback. He indicated that the idea had not yet been seriously discussed. "If we feel that would help the competition, then that's something we would look into," Ryan said.