Person familiar with deal says LB Jason Taylor signs with Jets

AP source: Jets, Jason Taylor agree to deal

NEW YORK — Free-agent linebacker Jason Taylor agreed to a contract with the Jets on Tuesday, another bold move by New York that bolsters the league’s No. 1 defense with a fierce pass rusher from the rival Miami Dolphins.

The agreement was confirmed to The Associated Press by a person familiar with the deal. 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.

The 35-year-old Taylor, the NFL’s active sacks leader, has played 12 of his 13 seasons with the Dolphins. He now joins a team he has long considered an enemy.

He visited the Jets two weeks ago but left without a deal, waiting 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 has had a contentious relationship with Jets fans, calling them ignorant and classless. 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.

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.

Taylor, the 2006 Defensive Player of the Year, 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 will 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.

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.

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, Taylor still has plenty left. He had seven sacks, an interception, three forced fumbles and a fumble return for a touchdown 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 playing one season in Washington. 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.