Taylor agreed to a one-year, $1.1 million deal Wednesday with the Miami Dolphins. The move allows him to stay at his Miami home with his wife and three children. It also allows him to rejoin an organization he considers to be an extended part of his family.
There are $400,000 of additional incentives in the agreement, which Taylor and his agent, Gary Wichard, confirmed was reached Wednesday.
The new deal is $7 million less than what Taylor could have earned this year with the Washington Redskins. On March 2, Taylor walked away from the $8.5 million he was scheduled to make from the Redskins when he refused to spend the offseason at Redskins Park, preferring to spend the offseason with his family.
"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."
In the end, money wasn't a factor in his final decision to return to the Dolphins. Earlier this week, he got word to the Dolphins to put together an offer that fit within their budget and salary cap. Because he had been averaging $7 million a year since the early 2000s, Taylor wasn't under any financial pressure to play.
NFL.com Video
Dolphins head coach Tony Sparano looks ahead to the 2009 season.
The Redskins released Taylor when he told them he wouldn't participate in the offseason workouts because it was more important to spend time with his wife and kids, who weren't moving north to be with him during the season. He's also resisted two lucrative movie deals because it would cause him to spend time away from home.Taylor also resisted the temptation to go to the New England Patriots, who were willing to offer him more than the deal he accepted in Miami.
More than a dozen teams expressed interest in Taylor once he was released, but he kept every team on hold for a couple of months while he invested his time with his family.
Taylor a six-time Pro Bowl selection and 2006 defensive player of the year, is one of the game's best pass rushers, with 120 career sacks.
He was traded to the Redskins last year for a second-round choice in 2009 and a sixth-round choice in 2010. Part of the reason the Dolphins traded him was Taylor's offseason participation in "Dancing With The Stars," in which he finished second and received national acclaim.
Taylor is entering his 13th season. Even though he agreed to a one-year deal with the Dolphins, he's told friends he's like to play three more seasons if possible.
Jeremy Bridges signed by Washington Redskins
Fuentes close to new deal
Serena Williams withdraws from Family Circle Cup
