Santonio Holmes: 'Mark Sanchez is New York Jets starting quarterback'

Santonio Holmes has backed Mark Sanchez to keep his role as starting quarterback for the New York Jets.

The 26-year-old lost his place to Greg McElroy towards the end of the 2012 season, and now faces competition from second-round Draft pick Geno Smith.

The wide receiver told NBC Sports: "Right now, it's Sanchez, and that's who we're going with and we're going to continue on this road until time permits.

"I didn't get a chance to play with [recently-released quarterback] Tim Tebow, so I can't fully express myself on the situation. That one I'm going to leave unanswered, I have no answer for that one.

"I want to be here for the long-term, and if it means helping out the team, I'm going to continue helping out the team in any way possible."

Holmes missed the majority of last year after sustaining a Lisfranc injury during the fourth week of the season.