Former Miami Dolphins pass-rusher Jason Taylor was once rumored to be heading for New England this offseason. Instead, he’s likely to join another of the Patriots’ AFC East rivals.
Taylor is visiting with the New York Jets on Wednesday and could sign a contract by day’s end, the Newark Star-Ledger reports.
The 35-year-old Taylor has spent 12 of his 13 seasons in Miami, with the exception being a one-year stint with the Washington Redskins during the 2008 campaign. After a down year in the nation’s capital, he upped his sack total back to seven last year, and remains a prolific threat to all quarterbacks.
Although the Jets’ defense was highly touted in 2009, leading them to the AFC Championship Game, the unit got a paltry 10 sacks from its outside linebackers. Taylor is by far the best pass-rusher available for teams that run 3-4 defenses, and that’s why he’s been on coach Rex Ryan radar the past few weeks.
The Miami Herald previously reported that Taylor is content to wait until after the NFL draft to sign his next contract, because he’s hopeful that the Dolphins will reconsider letting him walk.
But a $3 million offer from the Jets — as reported by the Miami Herald’s Jeff Darlington, via Twitter — could be enough to persuade him to sign.
