Just a few days after Albert Haynesworth's Pro Bowl berth set the stage for him to become the headliner of the unrestricted free agent market in 2009, another big name could be available as well.
Washington Redskins defensive end Jason Taylor thinks there's a very real possibility the team won't want to pay him the $8 million he's set to make next year, so they'll release him.
"Would I be surprised? No. If I'm not back, I wouldn't be surprised," Taylor said Wednesday on Washington radio station WJFK (FM-106.7). "And I'm not worth it. So I would not be surprised at all."
Haynesworth and Taylor both available this offseason?
There isn't a fan in the NFL that wouldn't endorse their team acquiring both players. And frustrated supporters of the Green Bay Packers would probably be at the head of the line.
It's been a weird but ultimately disappointing year for the 34-year-old Taylor. He went off and did Dancing with the Stars, which irritated Miami Dolphins poobah Bill Parcells to the point that he traded Taylor to the Redskins for a second-round pick in '09 and a sixth-rounder in '10.
A knee injury nearly ended his season in the exhibition season. Then Taylor got kicked in the calf and an ensuing infection necessitated two surgeries.
He's missed four games and is on pace to set career lows in tackles (25) and sacks (1.5). Taylor who has correctly called himself "hardheaded" over the course of his career, likely returned too fast from both injuries. But he's not one to make excuses.
"You asked me in particular what my problem is. Do I think I'm too old? No. Have I been hurt? Yes, I've been hurt. I've had two surgeries in the last two months, and haven't had but one in 11 years," Taylor said. "But at the end of the day, I'll be the first to tell you, I stink right now. I need to play better. I need to get comfortable and play better."
Despite his age and production this season, Taylor still thinks he is capable at playing at high level. He might not be an 8-million-dollar man, but close.
"At the end of the day, most of us know the truth and some times some guys are just afraid to admit it, but I'm not worth $8 million," Taylor said. "You know what, I'll tell you, I may not be worth $8 million, but I know one thing, this dog can still hunt. This dog can still hunt. Put me in the right situation, the right position and I'll hunt all day."
If Taylor is on the market - whether by free agency or trade - he will be at the top of the list for a lot of contending teams. And one team that should be monitoring his situation very carefully is the Packers.
General manager Ted Thompson kicked the tires on a possible Taylor trade in the off-season but never made an offer. In retrospect, it was a disastrous non-move. Taylor could have helped the Packers in the two areas that ultimately led the team to their doom this season: pass rush and veteran leadership.
Thompson thought Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila would come back from surgery and have another effective season. Thompson was wrong and KGB was cut before the season was halfway over.
The transition for Taylor to the Packers' defense would have been easy: Taylor played in the system his first eight years in Miami where Packers defensive coordinator Bob Sanders was the linebackers coach.
Taylor, a guy young players on the Dolphins would walk through walls for, would have also helped fill the veteran leadership void left after Brett Favre trade. He would have been that fiery, take-charge leader the monotone Packers sorely lacked.
Thompson whiffed on Taylor the first time around, but he may have another chance in March. Thompson should not waver again.
The added bonus with Taylor is if the Packers do fire Sanders and bring in a coordinator that uses a more multiple scheme, Taylor can play right outside linebacker there. It's the position he won NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2006 under then-coach Nick Saban, who once said Taylor could have rivaled the best 3-4 outside linebackers in league history if he played there his whole career.
Just don't play him on the left side like the Redskins did.
There's still two questions to be answered about the ultimately Hollywood-bound Taylor: Would he want to play if released or put on the trading block (he said he would have to think about it), and would want to play for the Packers?
Sources said at the time of the possible Packers trade for Taylor that Green Bay was not on his preferred list of destinations. That was mostly because of the uncertainty at quarterback following the Favre trade. Aaron Rodgers, while still lacking a signature victory, has since shown he should have a long and successful career.
And while Green Bay isn't exactly bright lights and big city, Taylor didn't enhance himself being in the nation's capital. Exposure is overrated in the NFL. This isn't college football where television coverage makes or breaks you. You play well on a good team in any NFL city and people will know your name.
The Packers would be instant Super Bowl favorites in the NFC next season if they did two things: Sign Haynesworth and trade for Taylor.