Hard-luck QB Chad Pennington tore an ACL in a pickup basketball game and will undergo surgery next week, according to an ESPN.com report. Pennington's agent, Tom Condon, said in a news release Thursday that Pennington will have the operation April 7 and well-known surgeon Dr. James Andrews will perform it. The former Jets and Dolphins quarterback is now a free agent.

Jets nose tackle Kris Jenkins is coming off his second serious knee injury in as many years. Jenkins, 31, appears unlikely to remain with New York whenever the NFL's offseason and calender resume. "I'd be interested if [the Jets] had grass on the stadium field but right now, that's the big thing and they don’t," Jenkins said. "I've played here long and loved it. I love this team, I love the fans and I've bonded with this team. I feel like I have a connection with this city." Jenkins was released by the team after the season, but confirmed he was offered a one-year deal to come back at a reduced salary.

Baylor nose tackle Phil Taylor will continue his busy pre-draft workout schedule with sessions for the Jets and Broncos this week, a league source said Tuesday. Taylor worked out for the Browns (No. 6 overall pick), Chiefs (No. 21) and one other AFC team last week, and he has visits slated for next week with the Saints (No. 24), 49ers (No. 7) and Chiefs, according to the source. In addition, Taylor has visits scheduled with the Browns, Titans (No. 8), Colts (No. 22) and Steelers (No. 31) in the near future.

Jets quarterback Erik Ainge started using drugs when he was 12 and was addicted to painkillers by his senior year at Tennessee. Ainge, 24, who also suffers from bipolar disorder, missed the entire 2010 season because he went on a two-week bender before training camp and landed in rehab, fearing for his life. He has been sober since July 17. Following an interview with ESPN.com's Rich Cimini, Ainge wrote an exclusive piece for the site. "I'm a drug addict," he wrote. "I was in denial for a long time, but that's who I am. My addiction is with the hardest of hard drugs -- heroin, cocaine and alcohol. During my days of using, I was a really bad drug addict. I would've made Charlie Sheen look like Miss Daisy."

The Giants, Jets, Panthers and Bills have made changes to their season-ticket plans this year to account for the lockout. The biggest step was taken by the Giants, who are not requiring renewals until the labor stoppage ends. According to a survey of all 32 teams by The Associated Press, 17 teams aren't changing ticket prices, nine are raising them, four are decreasing them -- and two are both raising and decreasing, depending on seat location. The Giants aren't raising ticket prices, while the Jets are having a 2.3 percent average increase.

Buddy Ryan is again battling cancer, his son Rex told the New York Daily News on Tuesday. Rex Ryan, the coach of Jets, didn't reveal what type of cancer his father has, but said it wasn't melanoma, a type of skin cancer that Buddy Ryan has beaten twice before. "It's going to take more than this to get rid of him," the younger Ryan said. "That's what he always says."

Jerricho Cotchery may have dropped an unsightly eight passes last season because of a back injury. Unbeknownst to the public, Jets receiver played with a painful herniated disc throughout the season and underwent back surgery Feb. 3. The procedure was a microdiscectomy. Cotchery said doctors "shaved off" the piece of the disc that was pressing against a nerve. He said the condition worsened in October, causing shooting pain down his leg and into his foot. "It wasn't a good feeling," Cotchery said. "It was pretty painful. I wouldn't want any football player to have to go through that."

The Jets will refund money to fans for any missed preseason and regular-season games without interest. The Lions recently informed its season ticket holders that they will receive a full refund plus interest for lost games.

Jets safety Jim Leonhard is working hard to get back on the field, even though there is no guarantee there will be football this fall. Leonhard is making positive strides as he rehabs the broken leg he suffered during a practice session on Dec. 3. His rehab has been on schedule, just over three months after a metal rod was inserted into his leg. "They're letting me be a lot more aggressive with the rehab," Leonhard said. " "Until that bone has completely healed -- and we're pretty close now -- they tried to hold me back, didn't want to do anything to have setbacks. Now, they're starting to give me more."

Santonio Holmes told The New York Post on Tuesday that he expects to return to the Jets next season. Holmes had 52 catches for 746 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games in his first season with the team in 2010. Teammate and fellow receiver Braylon Edwards expects to return to the team as well.