Hayden Panettiere was recently seen out and about with New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, but the actress says the two are simply good friends.

"I swear I'm not dating him at all. Honestly. I'm a huge Jets fan and became very good friends with him and his buddies," Hayden told Us.

"I've always been that girl who has a lot of dude friends. I'm into sports so we have a lot in common, but no, definitely 100% not dating."

"There's genuinely, absolutely nothing going on."

Panettiere and Sanchez have shared a few laughs over the recent relationship rumors, the 21-year-old actress tells the gossip publication.

"Every person that I stand next to in this industry, I'm going to be linked to - that's just inevitably the way it goes," the Scream 4 star says.

"When it's a long-term friendship like that, sometimes it starts getting a little bit frustrating for people. You don't want to put fuel into the fire but you don't want to stop living your life and doing what you want to do."

Panettiere, who just broke up with Wladimir Klitschko, promises that when she does find love again, her fans will be the first to know.

"It's too much energy to keep it hidden. So when I say we're just friends, I mean it! Time will tell if I'm lying, but I'm 100% not! He's a great dude and he's a great football player and he's Jet player, which I love."

[Photos: WENN.com]