New York Jets general manager John Idzik made it clear that he'll have a large say in determining who will quarterback the AFC East football team.

It will be a collective decision deciding between Mark Sanchez and Geno Smith. With coach Rex Ryan on the hot seat, the long-term future of the franchise is in Idzik's hands.

"I've got a pretty big role in that," Idzik told reporters. "I think we're going to discuss that much like we do anything: it's going to be a collective opinion. We're going to hash it out. And it's not limited to quarterbacks. I know that's front stage and center. It's every position.

"When you look at who's going to play, Rex and I are going to talk about that freely. I like to believe, and it has been the case so far, if you put in that time and effort, when you make the decision you feel like it's a we decision. It's not one individual. It's not someone is going to drop the gavel and do something that's counter to what the Jets want to do."

Sanchez is the frontrunner, but Smith is a talented prospect.

Idzik stressed that the organization is on the same page, presenting a unified front.

"We're all pulling in the same direction," he said. "We're going to make the decision. Our starting quarterback, the other 10 starters on offense, what we do schematically with those guys, it's all going to be for the good of those guys.

"It's a collaborative effort. It's not how it seems, that you wake up one morning and everyone is waiting out with bated breath on someone with a scroll and we says here's him. It's not it. Especially with this decision, there's so much that goes into it. It is not going to be a surprise to anyone in the room."

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Aaron Wilson covers the Ravens for The Baltimore Sun