US News

$7.25M ‘SCORE’

Former Jet superstar Curtis Martin is considering buying Brooklyn’s most expensive apartment – a $7.25 million waterfront penthouse with staggering views of Manhattan.

The retired NFL running back is reviewing a contract he was recently handed to buy the flagship penthouse unit being built at 1 Brooklyn Bridge Park, a source familiar with the negotiations told The Post.

If he signs, the 34-year-old gridiron great would join a growing list of celebrities – such as Heath Ledger, Rosie Perez and Steve Buscemi – calling Brooklyn home.

The luxury pad’s price tag is almost double that of the current record sales figure for a Brooklyn condo: $3.8 million shelled out for a penthouse at the Aurora in Williamsburg in January.

“Brooklyn will soon be home to the Nets, and now we are also the first choice of one of the most famous Jets,” said Borough President Marty Markowitz after learning of the potential deal.

The so-called “sky house” Martin is eyeing will consist of a 4,638- square-foot triplex with breathtaking, 360-degree views of the Manhattan and Brooklyn skylines from inside the state-planned park.

Martin could not be reached for comment, and Robert Levine, developer of the complex, declined to comment on the potential sale.

Martin, who retired in July as the NFL’s fourth-leading all-time rusher, was born in Pittsburgh and lived in Garden City, L.I., during his Jet career, which ran from 1998 to 2006, although injuries kept him sidelined last season.

He previously played three years with the rival New England Patriots.

Martin was a New York media rarity – a superstar who failed to attract the spotlight, thanks to his low-key “team first” attitude while playing during a generation of mostly “me first” NFL players.

He did make Esquire’s best-dressed list in 2004 and was once romantically linked to sexy singer Toni Braxton.

Buyers are expected to begin moving in to 1 Brooklyn Bridge Park by next month – at least five years before the park itself is finished.

Construction on the long-delayed park project has yet to begin, and the state has yet to release a new timetable.

Brooklyn Bridge Park has been a political hot potato since project planners announced in December 2004 that more than 1,200 luxury condos would have to be included within the new green space to raise enough money to offset the park’s estimated $15.2 million annual maintenance costs.

rich.calder@nypost.com