Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl

Instead of extending an olive branch, New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez sent Santonio Holmes a heart-shaped box of shortbread cookies for Valentine’s Day.

Well, sort of.

Showing a sense of humor as he attempts to repair the fractured relationship with his No. 1 receiver, Sanchez tweeted a Valentine to Holmes late Tuesday night. The brief message included a picture of the gift-wrapped cookies.

The tweet read: “@santonio10 you want to be my Valentine? #fb”

If Sanchez is playing the role of Cupid, Jets fans can only hope his arrows are more accurate than his passes to Holmes. Statistically, they had the lowest success rate among any quarterback-receiver tandem in the NFL last season.

Sanchez and Holmes, whose rift became the focal point of the Jets’ locker-room discord, already have talked by phone since the season ended. Two weeks ago, coach Rex Ryan revealed that the two players were trying to arrange a sitdown, perhaps even an extended meeting over the course of a weekend — a couple’s retreat, so to speak.

No word on whether that has occurred.

“I think they’re actually going to get together,” Ryan said before the Super Bowl in Indianapolis. “Look, we were all disappointed at the way the season went. That’s one thing we have in common. We also have a burning desire to win, to right the ship. The previous season, they had great chemistry. There’s enough common ground to bring them back.”

Since the season ended, neither player has spoken to the media. Sanchez’s tweet was his first public hint that there is friction in the relationship and that he wants to fix it.

Holmes isn’t going anywhere. Despite an outcry among fans and media that he should be released, the Jets all but guaranteed his return last week by letting a deadline pass that would’ve allowed them to get out of the contract.

By keeping him on the roster, the Jets guaranteed $7.5 million of his 2013 salary. His 2012 salary ($7.75 million) already was guaranteed, meaning they’re locked into Holmes for $15.25 million.

The Jets have said repeatedly that Sanchez will be their starting quarterback, although speculation persists that they will pursue Peyton Manning if he’s released by the Indianapolis Colts.

WRITTEN BY Rich Cimini covers the Jets for ESPNNewYork.com & FULL STORY HERE

Follow Rich Cimini on Twitter: @RichCimini