On the same day the clock started ticking for the New York Jets on one restricted free agent front, the club ended the suspense on another, matching the five-year, $7.945 million offer sheet that kickoff return specialist Chad Morton signed with the Washington Redskins last week.

	Morton

The move means the Jets retain Morton and assume the contract Washington negotiated with him. New York would have received a fifth-round draft choice as compensation had it opted not to match the offer sheet.

In matching the offer for Morton, the Jets said they would expand his role in the offense.

"We'll try to fit him in a package on third downs,'' coach Herman Edwards said. "We've talked about how he can be more productive. He's a guy we'd like to get the ball in his hands a little more.''

Ironically, as the Jets were matching on Morton, the countdown toward a resolution on the future of restricted free agent wide receiver Laveranues Coles officially began.

On Wednesday night, the Redskins faxed the Jets a copy of the seven-year, $35 million offer sheet to which Coles agreed Sunday night. Because the offer sheet was filed with the NFL after the close of Wednesday business, the seven-day period to match it began Thursday.

If the Jets do not match the deal -- and many observers believe they will not -- New York would receive Washington's first-round draft choice, the 13th overall, in next month's draft.

Jets general manager Terry Bradway acknowledged there was a special bond between quarterback Chad Pennington and Coles that would be difficult to replace.

"I do agree the chemistry was very good with Chad and Laveranues,'' Bradway said. "Anyone else who comes in there, there would be a period where they have to get comfortable. That gets put into the equation.

"We will make the right decision for the New York Jets.''

New York officials have wasted no time in considering options to Coles. They were scheduled to meet Thursday with a pair of veteran wideouts, restricted free agent Darrell Jackson of Seattle and Kevin Dyson, who is an unrestricted free agent from the Tennessee Titans.

Matching on Morton, it seemed, became just a formality the past few days. Jets special teams coach Mike Westhoff, one of the best in the league at his position, urged team officials to retain the mercurial Morton. And once the league struck down part of the original offer sheet, which would have permitted Morton to void the final two seasons of the deal if he reached certain performance incentives, matching became even easier.

Morton will receive a $2.5 million signing bonus, minimum base salaries from 2003-2005, a base of $1.8 million in 2006 and of $2 million for the 2007 season.

The Jets had made Morton a qualifying offer of $605,000 for one year, which allowed them to retain a right of first refusal.

The mighty-mite Morton, 25, averaged 26 yards on kickoffs in 2002 for the Jets and ran back two for touchdowns, both in a season-opening win over Buffalo, including the kickoff in overtime.

His career average on 114 kickoff returns is 24.4 yards. Morton has also returned punts and likely would have been used in that capacity as well by the Redskins. It is unlikely he will return punts for New York, which has Santana Moss perform those duties. Morton has 47 career punt returns, for a 9.4-yard average, but had just four punt runbacks in 2002.

Len Pasquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.