After Eagles starter Nick Foles went down with an injury, Sanchez started the second half of the season and set career highs in completion percentage and passer rating.

During his first Varsity pass attempt as a sophomore in a game against El Modena High School, Sanchez threw a 55-yard touchdown to WR Bobby Whithorne on the first play of the fourth quarter to help Santa Margarita win 17–10.

[1] Prior to his junior year of high school, Sanchez transferred to Mission Viejo,[4] where Johnson, who was recognized as a "quarterback guru", having trained professionals like Carson Palmer, was head coach.

On June 3, 2006, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office announced no charges would be filed, and Sanchez was reinstated, though he was disciplined by the football team for underage drinking and using false identification on the night he was arrested.

[14] He was named the starting quarterback by head coach Pete Carroll against Arizona after Booty suffered a broken finger during a narrow 24–23 loss to Stanford.

[15] With Booty still recovering from his injury, USC elected to start Sanchez for a second consecutive week against Notre Dame; he made significant improvements, completing 21-of-38 passes for 235 yards and four touchdowns during the 38–0 victory.

By the end of the season, the Trojans' lone loss was enough to remove them from contending for the BCS National Title and instead they were to play in the Rose Bowl against Penn State.

"[31] However, with the subsequent announcement that other NFL-caliber quarterbacks, such as Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow, and Colt McCoy had decided to stay in school, rumors arose that Sanchez would use the opportunity to enter the 2009 NFL draft.

[34] During the press conference, head coach Pete Carroll made it clear that he did not agree with Sanchez's decision, and advised him of the low success-rate of quarterbacks who left college early.

[48] Sanchez started his first regular season NFL game against the Houston Texans on September 13, 2009, throwing his first touchdown pass, a 30-yard reception, to wide receiver Chansi Stuckey.

[55] In the team's second meeting against the Bills on December 3, 2009, Sanchez suffered a sprained posterior cruciate ligament in the third quarter, prompting the veteran Clemens to take his place.

[57] Sanchez and the Jets engineered a comeback win following Colts head coach Jim Caldwell's decision to controversially rest the team starters in the third quarter with a five-point lead.

[60] In the Wild Card Round, which took place on January 9, 2010, at Paul Brown Stadium, Sanchez led the Jets to another victory over the Bengals, 24–14, behind his positive performance where he completed 12 of 15 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown with a passer rating of 139.4.

[61] On January 17, 2010, Sanchez, with the help of running back and fellow rookie Shonn Greene, defeated the heavily favored San Diego Chargers 17–14 to attain the Jets' third AFC Championship appearance in franchise history.

[73] The Jets finished the season with an 11–5 record and entered the wild card round facing the Indianapolis Colts in a rematch of their previous encounter in the AFC Championship.

[74] Although Sanchez had a subpar performance completing 18 of 31 passes while throwing an interception, he led the team in the final minutes of the game on a comeback drive culminating with kicker Nick Folk kicking the game-winning field goal as time expired.

[75] With the win, Sanchez tied Len Dawson, Roger Staubach, Jake Delhomme, and Joe Flacco for the second most post-season road victories by a quarterback in NFL history.

[95] Sanchez started the next week, but was benched in the third quarter of the Jets' contest against the Arizona Cardinals on December 2, 2012, in favor of third string back-up Greg McElroy.

[106] After much speculation regarding his future in New York,[107] the Jets released Sanchez on March 21, 2014,[108] the same day they signed Michael Vick, the former Atlanta Falcons and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback.

[118][119] The Eagles re-signed Sanchez to a two-year, $16 million contract on March 8, 2015,[120] but despite his play in the 2014 season, he remained the backup quarterback as Nick Foles was traded for Sam Bradford.

[123] Despite his above average passer rating, Sanchez proceeded to go back to the bench the next week due to his winless record as starter, and he would not throw another pass for the rest of the season.

In the regular-season finale against the Philadelphia Eagles with the Cowboys already having clinched the NFC's #1 seed, Sanchez split time with starter Prescott and backup Romo.

[133] On November 19, 2018, Sanchez signed with the Washington Redskins to serve as the backup to Colt McCoy, after starter Alex Smith suffered a season-ending leg injury.

As Nick Cannon had a hard time figuring out how to remove Baby Alien's mask upon elimination, he had to receive help from the Men in Black to do the job.

[139] Early in his career, Sanchez was praised for his ability to maintain composure in the pocket amidst defensive pressure and focus on finding an open receiver to extend the team's offensive series.

[145] His regression was mainly attributed to his poor accuracy, a byproduct of his indecisive mentality once the ball is snapped, and the fact the Jets did little to help surround Sanchez with the talent to overcome his shortcomings.

[145] While Sanchez has embraced a playboy lifestyle, drawing comparisons to former Jet Joe Namath,[146] he was praised by Brian Schottenheimer for his ability to work with various personalities and build relationships with teammates.

[147] After undergoing knee surgery following his rookie season, Sanchez established "Jets West" in 2010, an annual off-season camp located in his home state of California.

[1][158] While starting for an injured John David Booty in 2007, Sanchez wore a custom mouthguard that featured the colors of the Mexican flag in honor of his heritage.

[163] Sanchez serves as the Ambassador to the Inner-City Games Los Angeles, an after-school program that provides "at-risk youth" with positive, alternative activities.