Zach Thomas played with Jason Taylor on the Dolphins for 11 seasons, and the men are brothers-in-law. So Thomas knows how hard it was for Taylor to sign with the Jets.
“Everybody hates the Jets,” Thomas told Miami sports-radio station WQAM, according to ESPN.com. “I hate the Jets. But he has to do what he has to do and get respect. You’re driven by respect as a player, especially the good ones. And he’s got it from Rex Ryan.”
Taylor signed a two-year contract with the Jets today after years of trash-talking the team and their fans. He was candid about his desire to remain in Miami, but no offer came.
Thomas said of Taylor, “He’s sad.”
“He waited as long as he could,” Thomas said. “Everybody wants to feel wanted. The Jets, they wanted him. They’re a team on the rise, and I hate to say it, but they got the No. 1 defense and are going to be even stronger, and you don’t think Rex Ryan has a game plan for Jason Taylor?”
The report says Thomas, whose sister is married to Taylor, also had a bitter end to his Dolphins career, playing his final season with the Cowboys.