"There was a Vernon Gholston sighting in the AFC Championship Game. He was in the final three defensive plays, when the Colts were handing off in garbage time.

It may have been his final hurrah (if you could call it that) in a Jets uniform.

Gholston is one of the most intriguing items on the Jets' offseason agenda. As of now, the organization is truly undecided on whether to bring him back.

Ordinarily, a team never would consider unloading a former first-round pick (sixth overall) this quickly - three years left on his contract - but the prospect of no salary cap under the current CBA means the Jets could cut bait and absorb the large cap hit without having to worry about too much "dead" money.

Do they jump at a rare opportunity or do they give it another year on the off-chance Gholston becomes a contributor? If they opt to cut or trade him, he won't be missed in the locker room.

"I don't see the passion," said one of Gholston's teammates, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "He plays stiff and he just doesn't seem to have that love for the game. I've never seen any emotion at all."

In two seasons, Gholston's bang-for-the-buck ratio is mind boggling. Total income: $11.5 million. Production: 0 sacks.

Rex Ryan made Gholston his pet project, declaring last January, "If he can't do it for me and this team, he's never going to do it." He compared Gholston to the Ravens' Terrell Suggs, one of his former star pupils."