Taylor dealt by Dolphins
ASHBURN, Va. — The trade Jason Taylor and the Miami Dolphins sought for months came together quickly once the Washington Redskins suddenly found themselves needing a defensive end.
With that, the Taylor soap opera in Miami was over.
On Sunday, the Redskins gave the Dolphins a second-round pick in 2009 and a sixth-round choice in 2010 for Taylor, who is leaving the only NFL team he's known. The deal came about nine hours after starting defensive end Phillip Daniels was carted away from the practice field at Redskins Park with a season-ending left knee injury on Day 1 of training camp.
Taylor, a six-time Pro Bowl defensive end, fell out of favor in the new Bill Parcells regime in Miami after spending his offseason on TV's "Dancing With the Stars" rather than working out with teammates.
Taylor was expected to report to the Redskins on Monday, when he'll meet team owner Dan Snyder.
"We're fortunate there was a guy that caliber on the market when somebody got hurt," executive vice president Vinny Cerrato said. "Normally, in most years, there's not a guy of that caliber on the market."
The 33-year-old Taylor played 11 seasons in Miami, and he started every game each of the past eight years. He was the 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
"I love Miami (and) will always cherish my 11 years with the Dolphins," Taylor said in a statement. "Having said that, I'm looking forward to meeting with Mr. Snyder and getting to know my new coaches and teammates. I'm just proud to be representing our nation's capital as a Redskin."
Taylor had 11 sacks during the 2007 season, giving him 117 for his career. He wants to pursue an acting career, but his agent, Gary Wichard, said it's possible Taylor will play beyond the coming season.
"He's excited about going to Washington — he wanted an opportunity to compete in the playoffs in 2008," Wichard said.
Parcells, the Dolphins' executive vice president of football operations, fumed this offseason as Taylor focused on non-football interests rather than working out in South Florida.
Taylor finished second to Kristi Yamaguchi in this year's "Dancing With the Stars" competition in Los Angeles, and as he became a TV celebrity, his feud with Parcells escalated. At one point Taylor said he was unhappy he had spoken "probably less than a minute each" with Parcells and new general manager Jeff Ireland — something the player perceived as silent treatment.
