NFL

Losing Washington one of many moves that have hurt Rex’s crew

SEATTLE — Pending the result of the coin flip tomorrow at CenturyLink Field, it could come as early as the opening kickoff.

Heads or tails, it won’t be long before the Jets are staring at one of their recent player personnel mistakes when Leon Washington takes his place around the Seahawks’ goal line to field a kickoff.

Washington represents a glaring symbol of the growing list of valuable, talented, high-character players the Jets have cast aside in recent years, compromising the product they will have on the field tomorrow against the Seahawks.

It is the price of doing business in sports as a general manager, making difficult personnel decisions. In all sports, teams cut or trade players who go on to excel with their next team, sometimes even coming back to haunt their former team — as Washington well may do.

Some general managers are better than others, and the fact is Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum has not had a good last few years, leaving his team short on explosive offensive talent and its defensive depth toilet-tissue thin.

Washington, sixth in the NFL with a 29.1-yard kickoff return average, was universally missed when the Jets traded him to Seattle in 2010 for a fourth-round draft pick they used on fullback John Conner.

Conner, whose nickname is “The Terminator,’’ was terminated when the Jets quietly released him last month.

Last Sunday at MetLife Stadium, Jerricho Cotchery was making critical catches for his new team, the Steelers, in their win over the Giants. Like Washington, Cotchery is another significant role player the Jets let go in the last few years.

All Cotchery was for the Jets was Mark Sanchez’s most dependable receiver and a solid rock of maturity in their locker room. If he were still on the Jets’ roster today, he would be their No. 1 receiver.

What’s next? Tackle Wayne Hunter, whom the Jets released and was signed by the Rams earlier this season, pancaking Mo Wilkerson when the Jets play in St. Louis next Sunday?

In the case of Washington’s departure, his contract was coming due soon, which was, along with the fact he was rehabilitating from a broken leg, the reason the Jets traded him.

Washington said when the trade was going down, coach Rex Ryan told him, “Look, Leon, we have to pay a bunch of guys, Nick Mangold, David Harris, Darrelle Revis.’’

“It’s a business, so I understand it,’’ Washington said.

The Jets have done well at the kickoff return position in Washington’s absence with the drafting of Joe McKnight, a talented returner. But McKnight has been injury prone and in fact, is questionable for tomorrow’s game because of a left ankle sprain.

Jets special teams coach Mike Westhoff said he was “not involved in’’ the decision to trade Washington.

“There were lots of extenuating circumstances — injuries and contracts, which I am not apprised of,’’ he said. “There’s a big picture and we all have to be able to fit into it.

“On the other side, there is the selfish side that says, ‘I want this guy.’ The two of them don’t always coincide.’’

Jets safety and special teams leader Eric Smith echoed the sentiment of everyone who played with Washington.

“Leon was a great guy, a good friend and guy you like to have here, but [the decision to trade him] is above my pay grade,’’ he said. “He’s definitely still got it.

It’s going to take a lot of people running to the ball to make the tackle because a lot of times Leon makes the first guy miss.’’

If Washington makes enough of his former teammates miss tomorrow, it will accentuate how big a miss management made evaluating his value to the Jets.

“I wish we still had him around,” tight end Dustin Keller said. “It is hard to replace guys like that. Guys like that, besides the gift that he has, he was a good locker room guy.’’

Left guard Brandon Moore agreed.

“You need players like that on your team,’’ he said

And these Jets do not have enough of them.

As one disillusioned Jets veteran who played with Washington said of the growing list of key players management continues to weed out: “Believe me, we as players look at the same thing and wonder.’’