Texans general manager Charley Casserly has indicated a willingness to trade the No. 1 overall pick in the April 29 NFL draft. Now the question is which team, if any, will take the bait. The Jets? A person with knowledge of a potential draft-day deal said last night that the Texans might be interested in the Jets' No. 4 overall pick if the right package were presented. Such a trade almost certainly would include defensive end John Abraham. If it were made, the Jets would be interested in drafting quarterback Matt Leinart, the 2004 Heisman Trophy winner who led USC to back-to-back national titles. "The Giants traded up from No. 4 to No. 1 to get Eli Manning," the person said. "So why not the Jets? This could be their chance to make the same kind of splash as the Giants. Leinart has that star quality that would play well in New York." Neither Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum nor coach Eric Mangini has tipped his hand about draft-day intentions. But a person familiar with the Jets' thinking last night shot down any proposed deal, saying, "There's nothing to it."

The NFL combine workouts are a breeding ground for rumors, and one that sprang to life Sunday night was a doozy: The Jets are the team that is hottest to trade up with the Houston Texans for the first overall pick in the April draft. And the player the Jets want, according to the scuttlebutt, is Southern Cal quarterback Matt Leinart. The buzz makes sense from the stated positions of the teams involved. Houston general manager Charley Casserly said earlier Sunday that the Texans already have talked with "a couple of teams," none of which he identified, about trading the top pick.

As rumors began flying that the Jets are candidates to trade up with the Texans and land the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which they would use on quarterbacks Matt Leinart or Jay Cutler, Chad Pennington broke his silence and sounded ready to fight for his job, assuming he still has one. "My arm and shoulder are fine," Pennington was quoted as saying in yesterday's Sarasota Herald Tribune. "I'm anxious to get started."

Vandy QB Jay Cutler continues to draw raves from scouts and almost certainly will be a top-five pick. The Jets, at No. 4, are interested, but the Texans (first overall), Saints (second) and Titans (third) are also looking at drafting a quarterback .

Although Chad Pennington already has rejected the Jets' offer to take a steep pay cut to return next season, he is believed to have instructed Condon to do everything in his power to keep him with the Jets. Whether the feeling is mutual will become apparent by the time Condon and Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum meet face-to-face this weekend in an attempt to resolve the quarterback's contract. During a lengthy interview session upon arriving in Indianapolis, Tannenbaum said the two sides have had "many conversations" and are "in the middle of active negotiations." The talks are aimed at finding a way to lower Pennington's $12 million salary cap figure for 2006. The Jets already have the ability to lower that number to $7.5 million by guaranteeing Pennington's base salary of $6 million next season, but the cash-strapped team wants to go even farther.

The New York Jets slashed their payroll Wednesday by restructuring Curtis Martin's contract, parting with Pro Bowl cornerback Ty Law and cutting a host of other veterans, including quarterback Jay Fiedler, offensive tackle Jason Fabini and fullback Jerald Sowell. The team is about $26 million over the salary cap and must be at or under the cap by March 3, the opening day of free agency. The deal with the 32-year-old Martin, the NFL's fourth leading career rusher, was expected. The NFL's top rusher in 2004 underwent arthroscopic injury on his right knee in December and finished the season with 730 yards rushing and a 3.3 average. He was trying to become the first player in league history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in his first 11 years. Martin may be one of the few high-profile survivors in the a cap-forced purge by new coach Eric Mangini although it is likely that the Jets will draft a running back for the future in April.

Feeling betrayed by the Jets after the club failed to negotiate a long-term deal with their client, representatives for John Abraham made it clear yesterday that the three-time Pro Bowl defensive end is not happy with the situation. Abraham's frustration stems from being slapped with the franchise tag yesterday for the second consecutive season. Agents Tony Agnone and Rich Rosa all but said they'll do everything in their power to get Abraham traded and the process will intensify this week at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis. Asked if Abraham wants to be traded, Agnone said: "John wants a long-term deal and if that's what it takes, that's one of the options he'll explore."

The Jets designated defensive end John Abraham as their franchise player Tuesday, as expected. Abraham was the team's franchise player last year and was unhappy with the situation. He waited until the end of training camp to sign his one-year tender, then played in all 16 games and had 10.5 sacks. Because he played an entire year without getting hurt, Abraham hoped the team would give him the long-term deal he wanted. But instead, the team opted for the franchise tag again at a cost of $8.33 million for 2006, nearly $2 million more than last year. However, his chances of being on the team are up in the air. Because the Jets are going to be so far over the salary cap, they will explore the option of trading Abraham. If he stays with the team, Abraham will sit out the offseason and camp once again.

One day he's renegotiating a new deal to stay in New York, the next day he's on his way out of the only place he's ever played. And yet another day, a couple of his teammates are quoted as saying they think he should be released because he's too injury-prone. These surely are not the best of times for Chad Pennington, who within the next week will either be re-signed to a new salary-reduced contract to allow him to remain with the Jets or he'll be released, thus becoming a free agent in a world where it'll be difficult to find a better chance to regain a starting job than with the Jets. It's difficult to believe it has come to this for the Jets' quarterback who just a couple of years ago was the darling of New York sports, but such is the cold, harsh reality of professional sports, particularly those in New York. However, let's not count Pennington, who's rehabbing after a second rotator cuff surgery in his right shoulder in as many years and probably will not be able to throw in anger until training camp in July, completely out of New York just yet. Contrary to one recent report that all but has Pennington released, it would be naive to think his career as a Jet is over after only an initial round of renegotiation talks between his agent and the Jets, which took place last week. The actual moment of truth for Pennington, who is due a $3 million roster bonus on March 3 and is scheduled to count $9 million against the 2006 salary cap, will take place this week in Indianapolis, where the NFL's annual Scouting Combine takes place. Indianapolis is where all of the team executives and coaching staffs converge along with most the agents and the litany of college players who work out and interview with prospective teams. This is where Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum will sit down face-to-face with Tom Condon, Pennington's agent, and get serious. It's not surprising that Condon would turn down the Jets' initial request for Pennington to play for a $1 million base in 2006 and then have the chance to earn the other $8 million in incentives.

The Chad Pennington Era with the Jets appears to be in its final days and the Jay Cutler Era could be two months from opening. Even before they insulted Pennington with their offer to slice his pay this year from $9 million to $1 million, the Jets needed to find a new quarterback. They can't count on Pennington, not after two surgeries on his throwing shoulder less than one year apart. Where do the Jets go from here? "They have to do something dramatic," one GM said. The most immediate problem for the Jets is they are picking fourth in a three-player draft. Here's how the top three likely will come off the board: USC RB Reggie Bush to Houston, USC QB Matt Leinart to New Orleans and Texas QB Vince Young to Tennessee. Unless Leinart or Young slip to No. 4, or Mike Tannenbaum finds a way to move up to get one of them - neither scenario is likely - the Jets should take Cutler, the Vanderbilt QB who has been shooting up draft boards after a strong week of practice at the Senior Bowl last month, and sign a veteran to babysit him.