Martin, who said he’s in game shape and at his playing weight, never got that final conversation, instead talking with general manager Mike Tannenbaum and deciding Wednesday was the day to end months of speculation.

“I feel bad for him, and I just hope he comes back next year,” linebacker Jonathan Vilma said.

Martin tore cartilage in the knee in Week 2 against Miami last season, and aggravated it two games later against Baltimore. He played through the pain, but ended his season after Week 12.

“I don’t think that it ever took a turn for the worse,” he said. “I think it’s always been what it has been.”

Martin said the knee became a “bone-on-bone” situation when the damaged cartilage was removed during surgery in December. He was slow to recover and was placed on the physically-unable-to-perform list before training camp so he could rehabilitate the knee.

“This is something beyond my threshold of pain,” said Martin, who often played through injuries throughout his first 11 seasons, but said it would be “totally stupid” for him to try to play through this one.

“Do I think I can tolerate the pain and go out there and score a touchdown? Probably. That’s just what I believe,” he said. “But do I think that that’s going to possibly hinder me from scoring a touchdown with my kids or running down the field with my kids? Yes.”

The five-time Pro Bowl player was eligible to come off the PUP list Oct. 16, but the team announced he’d remain on it until after the game at Cleveland last Sunday. On Monday, Mangini said he spoke with Martin, Tannenbaum and the Jets’ medical staff last week. They chose to hold off until next week on whether Martin would rejoin the team and practice.

Mangini reiterated that on Tuesday, but said things changed after talking with Martin on Tuesday night.

“I think his heart was saying one thing and, unfortunately, the injury was saying something else,” Mangini said.

Martin wasn’t sure if he’d have any more operations on the knee.

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“I’m right on the borderline of having to get more done, but there’s a possibility that if I stop right now that I may not have to go through those procedures,” he said.

Martin spent his first three seasons with New England, and came to the Jets as a restricted free agent in 1998. His best year was his last healthy season in 2004, when he led the league in rushing with 1,697 yards and tied Barry Sanders’ record with 10 straight 1,000-yard seasons to start a career.

“He’s been the face of the franchise, and everybody here in the city loves him,” receiver Laveranues Coles said. “He’s New York’s guy.”

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The Giants’ Tiki Barber recently announced plans to retire after this season, meaning next year might be the first without either running back playing in New York since 1996.

“I have great respect for Curtis,” Barber said. “My definition of greatness is doing things consistently great. And he did it for a lot of years. He has always been very respectful to the league and the game. It’s a great method for people to want to emulate.”

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