Taylor returns to Dolphins
MIAMI (AP) – Linebacker Jason Taylor turned down $8.5 million for another season with the Washington Redskins to return to the Miami Dolphins on a $1.5 million, one-year contract Wednesday.
Taylor, 34, played his first 11 NFL seasons with Miami before being traded a year ago to Washington – a fallout from his stint on the TV show “Dancing With the Stars.” He was released by Washington in March after one injury-plagued season.
The New England Patriots courted Taylor in recent weeks, but he wanted to return to South Florida, where he still lives.
“My heart has always been in Miami, and so I’m truly excited to call myself a Dolphin once again,” Taylor said in a statement. “I was presented with a number of different opportunities, but in the end the combination of this being the best situation for my family, my love for this community and my tremendous loyalty to a great organization made this an easy decision.”
Taylor made the Pro Bowl six times with Miami and was NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2006.
He didn’t like being away from his wife and three children last season and wanted to rejoin the Dolphins regardless of how much money Washington offered, said his agent, Gary Wichard.
“Jason told me, ‘Tell the Dolphins whatever fits their budget, I’m ready to play,'” Wichard said. “There were no negotiations. It was always going to be Miami.”
Wichard said he also turned down a couple of movie offers because Taylor didn’t want to be away from his family. Taylor has been plotting a Hollywood career since joining the Dolphins as a rookie in 1997, and he envisions himself in the kind of action roles that made Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson a movie star.