If This Is It Jason….Then Thank You!

The Miami Dolphins finished the season on Sunday, along with the ending of one bad season comes a very likely departure of the teams captain and leader Jason Taylor. If that was the last game, then thank you JT…it was a wonderful opportunity to watch you for 11 years.Jason has cleared up one speculation for the off-season.  He will not retire.  ”I’m not retiring, I’m going to play football. I’m going to play football somewhere. I think I have a lot of gas left in my tank, a lot of tread left in my tires. I want to win.”

That leaves but two possibilities.  Stay or go.  Jason spoke to Miami media after Sundays game and called it “bittersweet“.  He said it is pretty much out of his control and that he will go into the team headquarters and say good-bye to his teammates like he does every year. 

During the interview, Jason spoke about the team not having the makeup of a team that could win now…or soon.  He continually spoke about his desire to win and being “tired” of losing and missing the playoffs for the 6th straight season.

The week before Christmas in our own interview with JT, he spoke about his love for south Florida, a sentiment echoed in yesterdays post game interviews, and he spoke about the team in almost a 3rd person.  JT used the words “team” a lot more than he used the words “we”.

JT’s future is now in the hands of the man upstairs…the Big Tuna.  The two will sit down and talk and the future will be laid out.  JT, although he will not publicly say it, will likely ask for a trade, that will be his decision.  Whether or not he is traded…well, that will not be up to him.  What we do know is that failing to trade the DE will likely mean that JT will return for his 12th season as he does not want to retire.  Will that feeling change if the prospect of another season like this awaits him?

”This is always a tough time of year,” Taylor said. “When the season’s over, and you haven’t had the success that you want, and you’re going home early, you know it will be the last time you play with a lot of these guys, you know change is on the horizon, it’s something that always makes it tough.”

For Jason Taylor, that last time may very well have been on Sunday.