In other expected moves, the Jets also cut linebacker Calvin Pace, safety Eric Smith and tackle Jason Smith. Just like that, the Jets created $30.7 million in cap relief. It puts them about $5.7 million under the cap.

This starts what figures to be a tumultuous offseason under new general manager John Idzik, although his predecessor, Mike Tannenbaum, was planning to make the same four cuts.

This won’t impact Darrelle Revis’ situation. The Jets had to make these moves simply to get under the cap by the start of the league year, March 12. They also waived injured tight end Josh Baker.

“Every one of these players was a major contributor to our football team,” coach Rex Ryan said Tuesday. “I was very impressed with Jason this past season while Bart, Calvin and Eric have been an instrumental part of our defense for the past four years.”

Scott wasn’t included in the Jets’ initial announcement of cuts, fueling speculation he could remain on the team at a reduced salary. His agent, Harold Lewis, said he expected to meet with team officials later this week at the scouting combine in Indianapolis to discuss Scott’s future.

The Jets apparently couldn’t wait, announcing an hour later that Scott — best known for his “Can’t Wait!” rant on ESPN after the Jets upset the Patriots in the 2010 divisional playoffs — also was a goner.

“The door is not closed with the Jets, and this allows us to really work the market as a free agent while in Indy,” Lewis said later in an e-mail to ESPNNewYork.com.

Scott was due to count $8.7 million against the cap. By cutting him, the Jets will get hit with $1.5 million in “dead” money, meaning there will be a savings of $7.2 million. He likely will be replaced by second-year linebacker Demario Davis, who became Scott’s heir apparent last year when he was drafted in the third round.

Scott was the first big acquisition of the Ryan administration, following Ryan to New York from the Baltimore Ravens.

The Jets enticed him with a six-year, $48 million contract in 2009, making him the centerpiece of the defense. Ryan and two assistant coaches took a celebrated recruiting trip to Scott’s Maryland home, showing up at midnight at the start of free agency.

Scott brought toughness and swagger to the unit, which vaulted to No. 1 in the league rankings in 2009. In four seasons with the Jets, Scott recorded 8.5 sacks, two forced fumbles and only one interception.

He became a malcontent in 2011, though, complaining about his diminished playing time, and also had several clashes with the media, once incurring a $10,000 fine for making an obscene gesture toward a news photographer.

Scott hoped for a bounce-back year, but he suffered a turf-toe injury in Week 3. He tried to play through the pain, but eventually missed a game, ending his streak of 119 consecutive games played.

Scott, Pace and Eric Smith could draw interest from the Buffalo Bills, where they’d be reunited with former Jets defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.

Pace was an every-down linebacker, but his cap charge was prohibitive — he was due to count $11.6 million. By cutting him, the Jets will get hit with $3.0 million in dead money, meaning there will be a savings of $8.6 million.

The Jets snagged Pace with a six-year, $42 million contract during free agency in 2008, one of many key additions in a blockbuster offseason. Of all the big-name acquisitions — Alan Faneca, Kris Jenkins, Damien Woody and, later, Brett Favre — Pace lasted the longest.

Pace didn’t become the pass rusher the Jets envisioned, never eclipsing eight sacks in a season. In 2012, he played in 94 percent of the defensive snaps, recording only three sacks and 42 solo tackles.

In five seasons with the Jets, Pace recorded 28 sacks and 11 forced fumbles. The Jets don’t have an obvious replacement for him, but they could draft an outside linebacker with the ninth overall pick.

Jason Smith’s release was a no-brainer considering his $12 million cap figure, which included an $11.25 million roster bonus. The Jets inherited the contract last August from the St. Louis Rams, who previously had restructured the contract to include the prohibitive bonus  virtually ensuring free agency in 2013.

The entire $12 million charge is wiped off the Jets’ cap, an enormous savings that will allow them to do business on the open market.

Smith was acquired last August in a trade with the Rams, a straight-up swap for Wayne Hunter, another right tackle who fell out of favor. Smith, the No. 2 overall pick in 2009, was used exclusively as a backup. He played in 24 percent of the offensive snaps as an extra blocker in the “jumbo” package.

Eric Smith was a valuable backup who contributed heavily on special teams. He was a situational played last season on defense, but he has started 36 games in his career. He was due to make $3 million in the final year of his contract, all of which is cleaned off the cap.

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Idzik, the fourth GM in Woody Johnson’s 13 years as Jets’ owner, inherits a 6-10 team, a possible lame-duck coach, a lean roster with a handful of immovable contracts, and a polarizing quarterback in Tim Tebow.

“I am honored and extremely excited to be joining the New York Jets,” said Idzik, who will be introduced at a news conference Thursday. “I am eager to get started building on the foundation that is already in place.”

The Jets set out to hire a GM with roots in scouting and personnel, but they opted for a longtime executive whose background is salary-cap management and contract negotiations. They surely will be criticized because it’s an extension of the Mike Tannenbaum model, and he was fired at the end of the season.

“After a thorough search in which we met many qualified and outstanding candidates, it was clear to me that John was the right choice,” Johnson said. “During his two decades in the NFL, John helped build a Super Bowl championship team in Tampa Bay, an NFC championship team in Arizona and, most recently, a team in Seattle that narrowly missed reaching the NFC Championship Game.

“John has seen first-hand what’s necessary to construct a winning team and has worked with some of the most innovative and successful coaches in the NFL … John, working with Rex, will get the Jets where all of us want to be.”

Idzik, most recently the Seahawks’ vice president of football administration, was a regular in personnel meetings, but he devoted most of his time to the business side. He has a distant Jets connection; his father, John, was an assistant in the late 1970s under Walt Michaels.

The Jets picked Idzik because they believe he will be a strong leader in all aspects of the organization. The delineation of power will remain the same as it was with Tannenbaum and Ryan, with Idzik having final say on all personnel matters, according to sources.

Idzik, 52, wasn’t among the first group of candidates to interview for the job, but he emerged quickly in the second round, meeting twice with team officials in less than a week. He’s well-regarded in league circles, having worked for three organizations. He was a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ front office when they won Super Bowl XXXVII.

Idzik grew up in the game, having played football at Dartmouth and coached briefly as a low-level college assistant. But he gravitated toward contracts and salary caps, pushing in recent years to make the crossover to the football operation.

His arrival likely means big changes to the roster. In Seattle, Idzik was part of an aggressive front office known for trades and spending money.

The Jets interviewed 10 candidates, selecting Idzik after a 19-day search that was coordinated by executive head hunter Jed Hughes of the Korn/Ferry consulting firm. None of the finalists — Idzik, Steelers executive Omar Khan and Jets assistant GM Scott Cohen — interviewed for other GM openings.

They expanded the search after meeting with the four candidates on their “A” list. They targeted former Atlanta Falcons director of player personnel Dave Caldwell, whom they reportedly were prepared to offer a $1 million housing allowance, but he spurned the Jets in favor of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Caldwell, Idzik and Khan were the only candidates called back for second interviews, a source said.

Three candidates, reached by ESPNNewYork.com, described their interviews as unusual because no so-called football people were in the room. It was Hughes, Johnson and team president Neil Glat and Johnson’s attorney, Ira Akselrad.

“It was strange, to say the least,” said one candidate, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “Let’s just say there wasn’t a lot of X’s and O’s talk.”

The new GM inherits a team on the decline — 14-18 since back-to-back appearances in the AFC Championship Game. There will be other challenges.

Idzik doesn’t control the immediate fate of Ryan, who has two years remaining on his contract, and Johnson has said Ryan isn’t going anywhere. It’s not the ideal situation, marrying two football strangers, but Johnson told potential candidates his preference was to keep Ryan for at least a year.

Ryan had a limited role in the process, sources said. He met with Idzik and Khan before a decision was made, sharing football philosophies but not making an evaluation of the candidates.

The most pressing issue is rebuilding the offense, which has new leadership. Tony Sparano was fired after one season, replaced Friday by former Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg, sources said. The Jets dropped to 30th in total offense.

The Jets may have the most unsettled quarterback situation in the league. Mark Sanchez played poorly and got benched this season, but an $8.25 million guarantee for 2013 will make it difficult to trade or release him. Idzik has to decide whether he can salvage him (his cap charge is $12.8 million) or incur an enormous cap hit by moving him.

There’s also the Tebow question. He was a spectacular non-factor in his first season with the Jets and it’s hard to imagine him keeping the fan-favorite backup.

Idzik will have to navigate a tough cap situation while trying to restock a roster that lacked playmakers and depth. The Jets are reportedly $19.4 million over the cap, with several key players headed to free agency — namely LaRon Landry, Shonn Greene, Dustin Keller, Mike DeVito and Brandon Moore.

They also face a potentially difficult contract negotiation with star cornerback Darrelle Revis, who will be an unrestricted free agent in 2014. They can’t use the franchise tag on Revis, per a clause in his contract, creating a sense of urgency. Revis may seek close to $20 million per year, but he’s recovering from major knee surgery — a variable that could complicate negotiations.

The Jets’ GM search was long and seemingly meandering at times, with critics claiming it wasn’t an appealing job because of the cap, the quarterback situation and the 2013 commitment to Ryan.

They aimed high, contacting longtime former GM Bill Polian to gauge his interest. But as one league source said: “He’s a Hall of Fame executive. You don’t want to have this on your résume.”

Polian played a small role in the search, sources said. In addition to offering recommendations, he sat in on a few interviews.

The Jets interviewed front-office executives from at least six teams — Caldwell, Idzik, Khan, Brian Gaine (Miami Dolphins), Tom Gamble (San Francisco 49ers) and Marc Ross (New York Giants). They also met with at least three former GMs: Jerry Angelo, Randy Mueller and Ted Sundquist.

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After interviewing four candidates, the Jets have decided to expand their search for a new general manager. New York will interview three new candidates Thursday, including former Chicago Bears GM Jerry Angelo, according to league sources.

Angelo, who was fired from his post in Chicago after the 2011 season, is the only known candidate with experience as a GM. He was the Bears’ GM for 11 years, compiling an 87-73 record and building the team that reached Super Bowl XLI.

The Jets also will meet with Miami Dolphins assistant GM Brian Gaine and Pittsburgh Steelers director of football and business administration Omar Kahn, sources said.

The Jets have reached out to no fewer than 12 potential candidates, and that number is expected to grow. They’re expected to conduct more interviews on Friday, which means the search probably will continue into next week.

The Jets clearly were not blown away by any of their original four candidates, prompting team officials to cast a wider net. The franchise is under intense pressure to make the right choice.

Not only did the Jets stumble to a 6-10 record, but they’ve been lampooned since the end of the season. They’ve provided plenty of tabloid fodder, with Rex Ryan’s well-chronicled getaway to the Bahamas, his infamous tattoo and the clumsy, eight-day delay before their season-ending news conference — a violation of the NFL media policy.

Owner Woody Johnson still wants Ryan to be a major presence in the organization. That became apparent Tuesday at their joint news conference. Despite the losing season, Johnson gave an effusive vote of confidence to Ryan, also revealing that Ryan will be involved in the latter stages of the GM search.

Johnson confirmed that Ryan is part of the package, meaning the next GM has to retain the coach for at least one season. Johnson said he hasn’t received any negative backlash from potential candidates.

“I really haven’t had any reaction, no,” he said. “I think everybody feels like they’re pretty fortunate to have Rex because of what they know. They know he’s a good coach and you can’t always say that. It takes one of the uncertainties out of the equation.”

Not everyone feels the same way.

“It’s an absolute recipe for disaster,” said a longtime GM, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “It’s a marriage by proxy.”

Amid the Jets’ recent embarrassing headlines, they’re still looking for a GM. Consider their odyssey:

Two landed other GM jobs: Former Atlanta Falcons director of player personnel Dave Caldwell was hired by the Jacksonville Jaguars and former Indianapolis Colts vice president of football operations Tom Telesco landed the San Diego Chargers’ GM job.

One declined an interview (Baltimore Ravens assistant GM Eric DeCosta); one canceled his interview (former Cleveland Browns GM Tom Heckert); and one postponed to pursue other options (Green Bay Packers director of football operations John Dorsey).

49ers director of player personnel Tom Gamble was considered the early favorite, but his interview didn’t go as well as expected, according to league sources. Caldwell became the next hot name — he was invited back for a second interview — but league sources suspect he used the Jets as leverage against the Jaguars.

The Jets also met with New York Giants director of college scouting Marc Ross and their top in-house candidate, Scott Cohen, who served as Tannenbaum’s assistant GM for five years. People close to the organization believe owner Woody Johnson will give strong consideration to Cohen because he’s already familiar with Ryan.

The Jets’ job would be a homecoming for Gaine, who will meet with team officials later this week. He grew up in Pearl River, N.Y., attended Don Bosco Prep in New Jersey, played briefly on the Jets’ practice squad and became a scout under Bill Parcells. He followed Parcells to the Dallas Cowboys and Dolphins, ascending to the front office.

Gaine was a practice-squad tight end for the Jets and Giants. Former Jets teammates Wayne Chrebet, Marvin Jones and Anthony Becht gave their endorsements, tweeting that Gaine would be an excellent choice.

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Tannenbaum, who has run the football operation since 2006, was fired Monday, owner Woody Johnson announced in a statement. Rex Ryan will remain as coach, according to Johnson.

A search for a new GM will commence immediately.

Johnson made the move after the Jets failed to make the playoffs for a second straight season. The Jets, undermined by poor quarterback play and a lack of playmakers on offense, stumbled to 6-10. Johnson said he informed Tannenbaum on Monday morning.

“Although he helped guide us to two consecutive AFC Championship Games, we are not where we want to be, and a new General Manager will be critical to getting this team back on the right track,” Johnson said in the statement.

Johnson said he has consulted with “a number of football executives,” adding that he has hired Korn/Ferry International, which will conduct the search for a new GM. It will be headed by Jed Hughes, who previously led the general manager search for the Seattle Seahawks.

Johnson eliminated any doubt about Ryan’s future.

“I believe that he has the passion, the talent, and the drive to successfully lead our team,” Johnson said.

Ryan has two years and approximately $6 million remaining on his contract.

“Like all Jets fans, I am disappointed with this year’s results,” Johnson said. “However, I am confident that this change will best position our team for greater success going forward.”

It was a stunning fall for Tannenbaum, who was considered one of the NFL’s top young executives when the Jets reached back-to-back AFC Championship Games in 2009 and 2010.

Since then, the talent base has eroded, leaving a roster filled with question marks and uncertainty at the quarterback position. The Jets are also saddled with several bad contracts.

In Tannenbaum’s seven seasons, the Jets went 57-55, made the postseason three times and won four playoff games. On his watch, they’ve had two head coaches, Eric Mangini and Rex Ryan.

Tannenbaum became known as “Trader Mike” for his aggressive deals. His biggest trade came in 2009, when he dealt for Brett Favre. Some of his better moves were drafting Darrelle Revis and trading for Antonio Cromartie.

But Tannenbaum also had some clunkers, none bigger than drafting Vernon Gholston in 2008 and making the controversial Tim Tebow trade. Tannenbaum predicted that Tebow would be a “dynamic” weapon in the offense, but it was an unmitigated disaster. The decision to extend Mark Sanchez’s contract last offseason also proved to be a poor decision.

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