Alouettes' Larry Taylor jumps to Jets

While some wondered if the Montreal Alouettes would lose head coach Marc Trestman to the National Football League following their Grey Cup victory, little was said about kick returner Larry Taylor potentially departing.

But that's what transpired Thursday as the Canadian Football League's top special-teams player in 2009 agreed to join the New York Jets.

Taylor, 24, spent the last two seasons with Montreal, turning in a breakout performance in 2009 with a league-high 788 yards on 89 punt returns for an 8.9-yard average. Two of his returns went for touchdowns.

The five-foot-six, 177-pound Taylor also averaged 20.8 yards on 51 kickoff returns.

In addition to being the league's top special-teams performer, Taylor was an East Division and CFL all-star this past season.

In 2008, the native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., led the Alouettes in punt-return yards with 517 and was sixth in the CFL, despite starting the season on Montreal's practice squad.

Taylor played his college football at the University Connecticut, registering 25 catches for 259 yards as a senior.

He also had 31 punt returns for 357 yards and two touchdowns and 11 kickoff returns for 205 yards.

Meanwhile, Trestman quieted talk of a possible return to the NFL in the near future when he signed a four-year contract extension with the Alouettes in December.

He guided Montreal to a 28-27 win over Saskatchewan in the 2009 CFL championship in Calgary after posting a franchise-best 15-3 record in the regular season. The Alouettes fell to Calgary in the 2008 Grey Cup.