Person familiar with deal tells AP: Pass-rushing linebacker Jason Taylor signs with NY Jets

AP source: Jets, Jason Taylor agree to deal

NEW YORK — Booed and despised by Jets fans for years, Jason Taylor is now on their side.

The former Miami Dolphins linebacker agreed to terms with the AFC East-rival New York Jets on a contract Tuesday, a person familiar with the deal told The Associated Press.

It’s another bold offseason move by New York that bolsters the league’s No. 1 defense with a fierce pass rusher. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the team had not yet announced the signing.

The deal was first reported by ESPN.com and the Miami Herald. The cable network’s website said it is for two years. Because of the league’s “Final Eight” restrictions, the Jets could only pay Taylor only $1.75 million in base salary this season — the amount unrestricted free agent kicker Jay Feely signed for with Arizona.

The 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year visited the Jets two weeks ago but left without a deal, pondering whether to sign with New York or wait to see if Miami would re-sign him after the draft. After vacationing in Costa Rica last weekend, Taylor decided to go with coach Rex Ryan and the Jets.

Taylor, the NFL’s active sacks leader who’ll turn 36 in September, joins a team he has long considered an enemy. And, the feeling was mutual among Jets fans.

Long a part of one of the NFL’s most intense rivalries on the field, Taylor has had a contentious relationship with fans in New York, calling them ignorant and classless and saying their “J-E-T-S!” chant was “dumb.”

Now, he’ll try to endear himself to those same fans, the way Brett Favre did in Minnesota or Donovan McNabb hopes to do in Washington. A few early season sacks might do the trick for Taylor.

Either way, it’s the latest headline-grabbing acquisition by the Jets, who have clear intentions of making a Super Bowl run this season after losing in the AFC championship game to Indianapolis in January.

Already loaded with story lines for its appearance on HBO’s “Hard Knocks” during training camp this summer, New York has also signed running back LaDainian Tomlinson and safety Brodney Pool, and traded for wide receiver Santonio Holmes and cornerback Antonio Cromartie.

The former “Dancing With the Stars” contestant — he finished runner-up to Kristi Yamaguchi in 2008 — recently expressed a desire to remain with the Dolphins. But, Miami general manager Jeff Ireland said the team would wait until after the draft before deciding whether to make an offer.

A scheduled meeting with Taylor and Dolphins officials was also reportedly canceled recently as Ryan and the Jets aggressively pursued him.

Taylor has 127½ career sacks and provides the Jets with a proven pass rusher who should fit right into Ryan’s aggressive 3-4 defensive scheme. He’ll likely be used in a situational pass-rushing role as a hybrid linebacker-defensive end. His addition could allow the Jets to focus on other positions with the 29th overall pick in the draft Thursday night, although general manager Mike Tannenbaum said Taylor’s decision would be “a small factor” in the team’s approach.

Several Jets players met Taylor during his visit to the team’s facility in Florham Park, N.J., on April 8, and said they’d welcome him if he signed. The Jets showed him around the facility and took him on a helicopter tour of Manhattan and the new Meadowlands Stadium. Even Tomlinson was part of the recruiting process.

“I pitched my part in trying to get him here,” Tomlinson said two weeks ago. “Hopefully, things get done because we can definitely use him.”

While his best days are clearly behind him, the Jets believe Taylor still has plenty left — at least for a season. He had seven sacks, an interception, three forced fumbles and a fumble return for a touchdown — against the Jets — last season.

“He can do a lot of different things: drop in coverage, rush the passer and he’s pretty good against the run,” linebacker Calvin Pace said recently. “I think it would be pretty positive for us.”

Taylor played with the Dolphins from 1997-07 before being traded to Washington in 2008. He clashed with Miami for competing on “Dancing With the Stars” rather than working out with the team that offseason.

After one season in Washington, the Redskins released him after he refused to commit to the team’s offseason conditioning program so he could focus on his family.

It’s uncertain if Taylor will report to the Jets’ team workouts before mandatory minicamp in mid-June.

He returned to Miami last season with a one-year contract and said he wanted to keep playing, preferably with the Dolphins, rather than retire.