"As the Jets returned to their training facility in Florham Park to clear out their lockers Monday, Thomas Jones was noticeably absent. While fellow running backs Leon Washington and Shonn Greene chatted freely with reporters, reflecting on a season that ended with a loss to the Colts in the AFC Championship Game, Jones was nowhere to be found.

The Jets' rushing attack was also conspicuously absent after Greene was knocked out with bruised ribs just two plays into the third quarter, placing the burden on Jones to continue the ground-and-pound attack. The veteran gained just 42 yards on 16 carries and lacked the energetic bursts that typified his rookie counterpart's running.

With the emergence of Greene and the probable return of Washington from a broken leg, the Jets face a potential logjam in the backfield for next season.

Jones, who was third in the NFL this season with 1,402 rushing yards, has one season left on a four-year, $20 million contract and could be the odd man out. Jones was reportedly unhappy with his 2009 salary of $900,000, and showed his disdain by skipping most of the offseason workouts. Washington expects to be back from the broken leg that he suffered on Oct. 25 in Oakland - the injury that created an opportunity for Greene, a third-round pick out of Iowa, to show what he could do. After rushing for 540 yards on 108 carries in the regular season, Greene led the NFL in rushing in the playoffs with 304 yards, averaging 5.6 per carry in three games."