Now that Mark Sanchez has been a Denver Bronco for nearly a week, the jokes have started to settle down, the shock and dismay have started to sink in, and questions about where he fits on this team have started to arise. Sanchez has gone from a young, playoff-experienced quarterback to a veteran backup.

Sanchez is remembered for his infamous “butt fumble,” where he voluntarily ran into the rear-end of a teammate and fumbled the ball. But while it was a memorable play, what most seem to forget is that, during the first two years of his career, he quarterbacked a Jets team to two straight playoff appearances, which included four road playoff wins and two AFC Championship appearances. That stretch also included back-to-back road victories against Peyton Manning’s Colts and Tom Brady’s Patriots.

Many will be quick to discount Sanchez’s success for both of those years because he had a great Jets defense behind him. While it is true that the Jets defense was great, that is exactly what he will inherit in Denver.

John Elway acknowledged that Sanchez is not the only piece of the puzzle for the Broncos quarterback situation.

This tweet from Elway really gives no indication of where the Broncos feel he will fit or what role he will play, but there are certainly multiple options. With so much uncertainty surrounding him, though, let’s break it down.

Here are the Broncos three options for Mark Sanchez:

Trade:

This is the most simplistic scenario to take place, because it will be as if he was never here in the first place. There are two scenarios where this could play out, and they both revolve around quarterback Colin Kaepernick.

The first is if the Broncos trade and acquire Kaepernick from the San Francisco 49ers. This deal would most likely involve the Broncos trading a draft pick and could involve trading Sanchez to the 49ers. Just because the Broncos picked up Sanchez doesn’t mean the Kaepernick trade is off of the table.

https://twitter.com/AllbrightNFL/status/708364264176619520?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

If Sanchez were traded before the season it would make his introductory press conference seem very strange.

The other Sanchez trade scenario is if Kaepernick is cut by the 49ers and the Broncos pick him up. If this happens, there is no question that Kaepernick will be the starter and the Broncos may not want to hold on to Sanchez’s $4.5 million contract. They could end up trading him for something very similar to what they got him for – practically nothing.

Starter:

To go from Peyton Manning starting Super Bowl 50 in February to Mark Sanchez as the opening day starter in September would be very difficult for the Denver fans to swallow. However, with the way the roster is right now, this is not a farfetched possibility.

If no additional trades are made for a quarterback, it has to be assumed that Sanchez will at least be in competition for the starting job during training camp. It’s also certain that Elway will bring in another quarterback, whether that is through free agency or the draft.

If the Broncos only add a quarterback through the draft, then there is a very high chance Sanchez will be the listed starter going into training camp. The play of Sanchez, Trevor Siemien and the drafted quarterback in training camp and preseason would determine who gets the nod Week 1, with Sanchez leading the way.

Backup:

The Broncos would be very comfortable having Sanchez here, clipboard in hand, as he is viewed around the league as an above-average backup. This would happen for one of three reasons: Kaepernick is picked up by Broncos and they decide to keep Sanchez, the Broncos pick up a starting quarterback in free agency or the Broncos pick up an NFL ready quarterback in the draft.

Instead of trading Sanchez away with the acquisition of Kaepernick, the Broncos could hold onto him and ensure that if Kaepernick gets hurt, they have a solid backup behind him. The only problem would be they might not have the money to keep both quarterbacks, depending on Kaepernick’s contract situation.

There is still a slim chance that the Broncos could pick up a quarterback in free agency, even though they have only shown mild interest in Ryan Fitzpatrick. Of guys viewed as potential starters, only Fitzpatrick and Robert Griffin remain available as free agents. If they brought Fitzpatrick in, Sanchez would most certainly be the backup. If they decided on Griffin, Sanchez could have a chance to start, but he might not have the upper hand.

If the Broncos end up drafting a top quarterback in the first round, then Sanchez could certainly be in a tight battle for the starter position, at least to start. Sanchez could be the backup to a rookie going into the season or he could get taken over by a rookie midseason. If there is a promising rookie sitting behind Sanchez and he doesn’t perform well, expect chants for that quarterbacks name just like the “Tebow” chants with Kyle Orton.

In the end there is still a lot of time for the quarterback situation to change and come together. For now, Mark Sanchez could be the legitimate opening day starter for the Super Bowl champions, or he could not even be on the team.