Without Jason Taylor, Miami Dolphins' Stellar Offseason Has Bitter Aftertaste

When the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets meet on the field for the first time on Sept. 26, Jason Taylor will be standing on the wrong sideline. 

It's already been difficult for Dolfans to accept that Taylor's legacy with the franchise will end on this note. But when they see him wearing a green and white Jets uniform, it might be too much to handle.

This is a player who gave 12 years to Miami and will one day have his name and number cemented permanently on the Dolphins' Ring of Honor. This is a player who has more career sacks than any other active player, a man who will likely be in the Hall of Fame when all is said and done.

So you can understand why his departure would be hard to swallow. 

Not only is Taylor a motivated player who can still get it done in limited minutes, but he's a leader that will mentor and help coach his teammates. Taylor won't complain about minutes or be a distraction in the locker room.

This situation can't end badly for the Jets. If Taylor doesn't work out, then they've lost a decent amount of money, but will still have a valuable brain to pick on the sidelines. He won't hinder the development of anyone or get in anyone's way either. If Taylor is able to capitalize as a third-down pass-rusher, though, he'll add yet another element to any already blitz-happy defense.

It's what you call a win-win.

That's exactly what would have happened if the Dolphins had decided to re-sign him, except they likely would have had to pay half the price to get it done. 

Yet, general manager Jeff Ireland refused to address the situation until after the draft, saying that Taylor and his camp knew where Miami stood on the matter. 

Well, apparently they didn't stand on solid ground, because now Taylor is a member of a franchise he's openly admitted to hating in the past. That's because they showed him the respect and attention he deserved and the Dolphins gave him the cold shoulder. 

Former teammate Zach Thomas openly criticized the franchise for the way they handled the situation. From where he sits, they treated Taylor like a rookie rather than a former franchise player. 

Taylor may not be their guy, but he was a Dolphins guy. 

Not anymore. 

Now, one of the best players in Dolphins history will finish his career playing on the wrong side of the field for his former team's most hated rivals. 

That's a terrible way for this story to end. Don't get it wrong, though. He isn't to blame for this. Taylor wanted to be here; waiting over a week to accept the Jets offer shows that much.

The problem was that Bill Parcells, Jeff Ireland, and Tony Sparano didn't want him.

This is one move that will come back to haunt them, though, especially if it's Taylor coming around the edge and sacking Chad Henne in the fourth quarter next season.