Regardless of what happens with the 2011 NFL season, it doesn’t look like Fred Taylor will be a member of the New England Patriots.
The soon-to-be former Patriots running back will be a free agent whenever there is another NFL season and, according to ESPN.com, Taylor will not be returning to New England.
Taylor told the media that he will either retire from the league altogether or see where free agency takes him. However, he showed no interest in returning to New England.
He said that he enjoyed his time with the team and learned a lot, but it was time to move on.
“The last two years I’ve had a great experience of being in New England,” Taylor said. “Being with a great organization and learning what tradition is all about.”
Taylor added that although he enjoyed his time with the Pats, he felt that at times he could have done more to help the team. If he signs with a different organization, he hopes to have a larger role.
“I think I took my role, embraced it and made the most out of it and bought myself a few more years and still was able to perform at a decent level,” Taylor said. “I felt like when things weren’t getting done that maybe I could’ve been the one in there. And that’s every player. If you don’t feel that itch, that desire, that passion of wanting to be out there, then you’re just wasting your time. There were moments I definitely said, ‘Well I’m not tired, I’ve recovered, I got my wind back, why ain’t I in the game?'”
Taylor spent 11 years with Jacksonville before he landed with the Patriots in 2009.
