Former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez retiring from NFL, will join ESPN

July 23 (UPI) -- Former New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Mark Sanchez is retiring from the NFL after a 10-year career in the league.

League sources told ESPN and the New York Post on Tuesday that Sanchez is stepping away from football and will join ESPN as a college football analyst. The former signal-caller will be part of the studio broadcast on Saturdays and will make appearances on ESPN's "College Football Live" and "Get Up!"

"Mark will be making an immediate transition from the field to the studio, allowing him to provide viewers a perspective that is in-concert with the current game," ESPN senior vice president of production Lee Fitting said. "Succeeding within a high-pressure media market at USC, and then in the NFL, provided on-the-job training for the next chapter of Mark's career, which we are thrilled will be with us at ESPN."

Sanchez played at USC from 2005 to 2008, leading the Trojans to a victory over the Penn State Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl during the 2008-09 campaign. He was named Rose Bowl MVP in the Trojans' win.

The Jets selected Sanchez with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. He spent his first five seasons in New York and helped guide the franchise to two AFC Championship Game appearances.

Sanchez also spent time with the Denver Broncos, Dallas Cowboys, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins and Eagles. Across his 10 NFL seasons, he completed 56.6 percent of his passes for 15,357 yards, 86 touchdowns and 89 interceptions.