Cornerback Gay to visit Jets
The New York Jets are scheduled to host Patriots cornerback Randall Gay on a free agent visit that starts tonight and extends through tomorrow.
Gay, who has played three NFL seasons and is a restricted free agent, has been participating in the Patriots' offseason program. He was tendered a one-year, $1.3 million contract this offseason but has yet to sign the tender, making him free to visit other teams.
If a team signs Gay to an offer sheet, the Patriots would be compensated with a second-round draft choice if they don't match. If New England matched the offer sheet, it would retain Gay and assume that contract.
The Jets have two second-round draft choices, their own (59th overall) and the Bears' (63d), both of which are late in the round. The Patriots do not have a second-round pick; it was traded to the Dolphins as part of the deal for receiver Wes Welker last month.
The Jets' visit with Gay comes on the heels of cornerback Asante Samuel publicly expressing his displeasure with his contract negotiations with the Patriots. If Samuel were to hold out, a player like Gay -- who started 12 games in the team's 2004 Super Bowl season -- would be a candidate to replace him.
While it's possible the visit with the 5-foot-11-inch, 190-pound Gay has some gamesmanship to it -- the Jets looking to put a scare into their AFC East rivals -- New York coach Eric Mangini does have a background with Gay, having served as his position coach in 2004. Gay was one of the Patriots' top surprises that season, making the club as a rookie free agent out of Louisiana State and helping fill the void when cornerback Ty Law suffered a season-ending injury.
Gay, who turns 25 next month, has been limited to eight games over the last two seasons because of ankle (2005) and hamstring (2006) injuries.
Not including Samuel and Gay -- who have not signed their tenders -- the Patriots have Ellis Hobbs and Chad Scott as their top cornerbacks under contract. The team is likely to bolster the position in this month's draft.
Mike Reiss can be reached at mreiss@globe.com. 
