FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — Jerricho Cotchery spoke a bit softer than he usually does as he reflected on his career with the New York Jets. And, he sounded as though he were saying goodbye.
The veteran wide receiver has been the subject of trade rumors, and said Thursday he believes he will be released if Derrick Mason — brought in by the Jets for a visit — passes his physical with the team.
"I love being a Jet," Cotchery said. "My main thing right now is focusing on moving forward. I'm healthy and I'm ready to play football. Sometimes, things don't work out the way you want them to work out."
Mason, a free agent who knows Jets coach Rex Ryan from their days in Baltimore together, was scheduled to meet with the Jets on Thursday. He's 37 and would bring a wealth of experience to the position, which includes Santonio Holmes and the newly signed Plaxico Burress.
"I love D-Mase," said Burress, a former Michigan State star like Mason. "He's a Pro Bowl receiver, had a lot of success in this league. He's been consistent since Day 1 that he stepped in here. If he does come here, it would be great. I would love to have him. It would be another Spartan in the building. I welcome all Spartans."
But it would come at the expense of one of the most popular players on the team. Mason, who has 924 catches and 66 touchdowns in 14 seasons, would replace Cotchery as the team's No. 3 receiver. Teams might be wary of trading for Cotchery because of his uncertain health status; he's currently on the physically-unable-to-perform list while recovering from offseason back surgery. So, the Jets might stop searching for a trading partner and just cut Cotchery to make room for Mason.
"Everyone wants that dream scenario where they want to play their entire career with one team," Cotchery said. "It happens, but it doesn't happen that often."
Cotchery, 29, was drafted by New York in the fourth round out of North Carolina State in 2004 and worked his way into the Jets' starting lineup after a few seasons. Sure-handed and consistent, he has 353 catches for 4,474 yards and 18 touchdowns, and one of his most memorable receptions came last season.
Cotchery was running a route in a game against Cleveland, when he felt pain in his groin. Instead of going down and staying there, the wide receiver hopped several times to get open and made a diving catch in the middle of the field— a play that many described as gutty and was one of the team's highlights on its way to the AFC championship game.
"He's done a lot for this organization and he has a clean record," cornerback Darrelle Revis said with a laugh, perhaps a backhanded shot at some of the Jets' other players who have had legal issues. "He's not out here getting himself in trouble. He's representing himself in the right way. You've got to try to at least reward a guy or keep him on the team as long as you can because those guys, you want to try to replace them, but you really can't."
Cotchery also earned respect in the locker room as a mentor for younger receivers on the team, and for being a level-headed and quiet leader.
"You have to be a man about it, this business," Revis said. "It's a cutthroat business, but also this is what we signed up for."
When asked if he was resigned to the fact that his days with the team were numbered, Cotchery paused for a moment.
"Yeah," he said, smiling. "Yeah ... yeah."
Cotchery mentioned how he always thought Chad Pennington would retire as a member of the Jets, but then the former quarterback was cut when New York traded for Brett Favre in 2008. That stunned him, and he sees similarities in their situations.
"It's tough when you've been with one team for a long time and you have to move on," he said. "It's just like you have to make that job change. If you've been in one place for a long time, you have to make a tough decision, but, hey, I'm ready for it."
Cotchery hadn't spoken to the Jets wide receivers as a group yet, but had discussed things with some of them individually.
"They're going to be all right," he said, "just like myself."