"The Jets and longtime wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery said goodbye yesterday, but the reasons are as hard to decipher as coach Rex Ryan's tattoo.

The team said Cotchery asked to be released, which the Jets did late yesterday afternoon. Cotchery, speaking a few hours before the release, said he had been told he would be released if the team signed Derrick Mason, who was visiting the Jets and was undergoing a physical.

The Jets still are believed to be ready to sign Mason, but announced nothing last night.

After the team released Cotchery, Ryan told reporters that Cotchery wanted out. He said Mason was not the reason Cotchery was released.

"He asked for a trade or to be released and that's what happened," Ryan said. "It was tough. You hate to see good people leave your building."

Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum did not respond to a request for comment.

When reached by The Post, Cotchery's wife, Mercedes, said her husband did not want to get into a back and forth with the team.

It had been reported by the NFL Network earlier this week the Jets were shopping Cotchery around, but Ryan said the team had no intention of getting rid of the receiver until he asked. Both Ryan and quarterback Mark Sanchez said they tried to talk Cotchery into changing his mind."