dimitri patterson

Jets cornerback Dimitri Patterson did not show for Friday's game. The team knows he's OK physically but has not heard from him.

(Robert Sciarrino/The Star-Ledger)

Jets cornerback Dimitri Patterson did not show for Friday's preseason game against the Giants and has not communicated directly with the team since then, general manager John Idzik and head coach Rex Ryan said Sunday.

Patterson, who hasn't played since the preseason opener two weeks ago because of injuries to his calf, quad, and ankle, also did not show for Sunday's practice after the team had a day off Saturday. The 31-year-old journeyman is a projected starter at a position that already was a major concern heading into this season.

Patterson's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said Patterson would report back to the team later Sunday. Rosenhaus declined to comment further.

Ryan was scheduled to have a conference call with reporters Sunday. But before the call began, Idzik came on and dropped the bombshell news about Patterson's unexcused absence.

"I'd like to speak to Dimitri," Idzik said. "Again, I don’t want to speculate on anything until I have a direct conversation with anyone, much less the player, just to figure out what’s going on. So we really don’t know. We can only surmise and we don’t want to speculate."

Idzik said the team only learned on Saturday through Rosenhaus that Patterson was OK physically. But beyond that, neither Idzik nor Ryan has heard from Patterson, and both said they were given no warning or indication as to why Patterson would stop coming to work.

Idzik did say Patterson was present for meetings, a walk-through, and the team's pre-game meal Friday. Patterson was also on-hand for Thursday's Family Night practice at Hofstra University. But he never made it to MetLife Stadium for Friday's game and has been missing ever since.

After the team realized Patterson hadn't shown, Idzik said he was "in constant communication" with Rosenhaus, who would only confirm to the Jets that Patterson's physical health was sound.

Idzik also said that, to the best of his knowledge, Patterson was not in any legal trouble.

Ryan admitted he was "shocked" that Patterson has been absent this long without any explanation.

"I still feel that way," Ryan said. "I'm not real comfortable talking about it until we talk to Dimitri and find out what's going on."

Patterson had played for six other teams in nine previous NFL seasons. The Jets this offseason signed him to a one-year contract that, with incentives, could push his salary to $3 million.

Idzik said the team would "handle" the matter internally but declined to say whether Patterson would be cut or fined.

"I’d like to talk to him so that we can figure out what’s behind it," Idzik said. "Really, the first thought that comes to mind is: How can we help our player, and what’s going through his mind to take such a drastic step? Of course, we’ll have contingency plans along the way."

Even before Patterson stopped coming to work, the cornerback situation was already a giant headache for the Jets. Dee Milliner—the team's other projected starter—suffered a high ankle sprain on Aug. 10; his status for the Sept. 7 regular-season opener against the Raiders is uncertain. And rookie Dexter McDougle, a third-round pick out of the Uiversity of Maryland, is lost for the season with a torn ACL in his left knee.

To compensate, the Jets have shifted safety Antonio Allen to one corner spot. Veteran backups Ellis Lankster and Darrin Walls have taken turns manning the other corner position during the last two preseason games. Ryan confirmed Sunday that Allen then sustained a concussion during Friday night's game; Allen will have to go through the league's protocol before he can return. LeQuan Lewis, who had only been added to the roster on Aug. 12, played most of the snaps against the Giants in Allen's place. The team's plan is to continue to tinker until it can find a solution that works.

This latest development with Patterson only further complicates matters. Even if Patterson were to show for the team's next scheduled practice on Monday, Idzik was asked whether Patterson could be trusted going forward.

"That’s when you sit down and talk to the player and fully understand what’s behind the behavior," Idzik said. "I think you have to take that step first. Your knee-jerk reaction is: You’re not here with your team; you’re not here for your team. But we have to understand the reason why. We’re here for our players and we want to understand what’s going through their lives and what may impact them. Until we have that, we really can’t say."

Ryan echoed that sentiment.

"Until we hear from Dimitri," Ryan said, "I don’t feel comfortable talking about a what-if type of scenario."

Neither Idzik nor Ryan said they had gotten any sense that Patterson was unhappy in recent weeks. Ryan said he has not spoken to Rosenhaus or anyone else associated with Patterson.

Idzik first noticed Patterson hadn't shown for Friday's game and alerted Ryan. Ryan said players sometimes can be late for games. But then Patterson never arrived.

"When Dimitri never showed up, obviously [our] main concern was the health of our player," Ryan said. "Without putting an APB out, you're trying everything you can, trying all the numbers you have, you name it, trying to find where Dimitri was.

"Since that time, we found out that he's healthy and he's in good shape that way, so that's a real positive. But, again, I really don't know anything further. I have not had a conversation with him. I've left messages; we've tried our best to get him in here and have not had success doing that yet."

Update (9:24 p.m.): The Jets announced Sunday night that Patterson had met with Idzik and Ryan. The team provided no additional details.

Darryl Slater of The Star-Ledger contributed to this story.

Dom Cosentino may be reached at dcosenti@nj.com. Follow him on Twitter @domcosentino. Find NJ.com Jets on Facebook.