The Boston Globe reports that the Patriots have once again reached out to free agent defensive end Jason Taylor.

The club did not draft a pass-rushing outside linebacker last weekend, and Taylor could help fill that void.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has said if Taylor, 34, wants to play in New England, it could happen.
The team appears to be stepping up its recruiting efforts, as the South Florida Sun-Sentinel reported yesterday that the Patriots have “strong interest” in Taylor, who plans to make a final decision within two weeks.

Taylor has also spoken with the Dolphins, although they haven’t been aggressive, and the Buccaneers are another option, the Sun-Sentinel reported. Tampa Bay’s defensive coordinator, Jim Bates, has ties to Taylor from his tenure as Miami’s defensive coordinator.

I’m a little surprised that Taylor hasn’t already inked a deal with New England, although that might indicate that his first choice is to re-sign with the Dolphins. It doesn’t appear that Miami is interested, however, so his options seem to be limited. If he truly wants to try and win a title before he retires, it looks like New England is his best shot.

Now that the NFL draft is in the books and unrestricted rookie free agents are being signed, teams can start turning their attention to the available veterans that are still on the market.

One player still looking for a home is former Pro Bowl defensive end Jason Taylor, who was released by the Redskins in early March. Outside of garnering interest from the Dolphins, Jets and Patriots, no team has made the 34-year old pass-rush specialist an offer.

According to the Palm Beach Post, Miami GM Jeff Ireland says that his front office hasn’t talked about adding Taylor, even though the Dolphins went the entire weekend without adding a pass rusher in the draft. Miami did, however, sign former CFL star Cameron Wake a few months ago so maybe Bill Parcells and Co. feel as though adding Taylor would be unnecessary.

New England didn’t draft a pass rusher either, so they still remain one of Taylor’s best options. The Jets are still a possibility too, but one has to believe that they’ll tell Taylor to shove off after he essentially said a couple weeks ago that he would never play for the green and white.

There is little doubt that if he wants to, Taylor will play somewhere next season. Teams are always in need of a pass rusher and while he might not get more than a one year contract, his phone will ring at some point.