Jason Taylor, 15 Years Later, Passes Green Torch to Mason Taylor, Jets' Round 2 Tight End

The NFL can unspool some crazy offseason threads. Take the case of Jets second-round pick Mason Taylor's father.

Jason Taylor spent most of the first 13 years of his stellar pro career as a Dolphin, torturing the Jets and their fans twice a season. He notched 13.5 of his 139.5 career sacks against the Green & White. He scored the ninth and final touchdown of his pro career on a 48-yard fumble return that led Miami to victory at the old Meadowlands stadium in 2009 while setting the league record for most return TDs by a defensive lineman that still stands. He, the 'Fins, the Jets and the teams' fans kept the home fires burning with the occasional airing of grievances.

All that changed in April 2010, when the Mike Tannenbaum/Rex Ryan Jets signed Taylor as an unrestricted free agent.

It was tough at first for some to embrace the transaction, but not so hard for Taylor. Although he admitted upon his signing that coming up I-95 from Miami to his new home in North Jersey was "a little surreal" and "pretty ironic," he demonstrated at his introductory news conference and later by his play that he was all in with his former rivals.

"The Jets showed me respect and they showed a desire to have me as part of their team. That's when I knew there was a chance I could come here," he said. " I'm sure some Jets fans may not want to forgive me right away. I understand that. But I'm here to make plays and help this team win a championship."

The next month, Taylor had his first offseason workout in his new colors, and he was really starting to feel the vibe.

Some Family Talk with the Owner
"The atmosphere here is outstanding," he said in a walk-and-talk one-on-one interview after that practice. "It's very conducive to winning, and guys are relaxed yet focused. I think it's a perfect mix."

He said the same to Jets chairman Woody Johnson, who stopped by during the stroll.

Johnson: "It's nice to see you. Great to have you here."

Taylor: "It's good to be here, I appreciate it, thank you. I'm enjoying it. The guys are great, the place is great."

They exchanged more pleasantries about Taylor and his family having found an apartment in New York City.

Johnson: "I think we should show you around a little bit. ... How old are your kids?"

Taylor: "7, 6 and 4. ... Outstanding. I look forward to it."

Taylor went on to play a pivotal role on that '10 team. He added five more sacks to his growing total, and had two fumble recoveries and two forces — including the strip sack of Tom Brady at the Jets 16 to secure their 28-14 win over the Patriots and endear more fans to JT's presence. And of course the Jets made it all the way to their second consecutive AFC Championship Game.

Fast-forward almost exactly 15 years to the present day and Jason Taylor is still pumped about the Jets — but for quite a different reason.

"It's a dream come true for my son to play in the NFL and kind of walk in the shoes that I was so blessed to walk in," Jason told newyorkjets.com from the family's draft party Friday night. "And then, you know, to go to a franchise that I played for, and in the greatest city on the planet."

"He's My Motivator"
And Mason, who was that 6-year-old that Jason alluded to in his years-ago chat with Johnson, is now the Jets' soon-to-be-21-year-old tight end out of LSU. And while most of the stories in 2025 will be about the son, he doesn't begrudge the father an encore.

"It doesn't bother me at all. I love it," Mason said. "He's my motivator, he's the guy I look up to, so people saying I'm in his shadow, that really doesn't affect me. I'm doing hard work just like he did. He was lowly recruited out of high school and college, and I've just seen the way he's done things and approached his business every single day, so I don't see that as I'm in his shadows."

In 15 years, any rough edges in the Taylors' Miami/New York passion play have been worn away. Mason has been a South Florida guy just like his dad, living in Plantation, FL, starring at St. Thomas Aquinas HS in Fort Lauderdale, and frolicking at a few Dolphins practices back in the day just as he did at a few Jets practices in '10. He and his father over time have become part of an NFL bicoastal family.

"My dad's a big supporter, so I hate to say it but I think he'll love the Jets, not a lot more than the Dolphins now, but I feel like he's a really supportive dad and we come from a really supportive family," Mason said. "So he's going to have Jets merch in his closet, I'm sure of it, and it's going to be really exciting."

The excitement soon will be all about Mason, who will be "tracing in the footsteps" of Jason, who remembers he was considered "too small, too pretty" coming out of Akron as a third-rounder in 1997, as well as those of uncle Zach Thomas, another player thought to be "too small" to play middle linebacker for the Dolphins. Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017, Thomas in '23.

"I've always had a chip on my shoulder my whole career," Jason said in 2010. Now it's the chip off the old block's turn.

"It's an amazing opportunity for me, knowing there are no shortcuts," Mason said. "It's all hard work, and you're doing that every single day because you want to be like them, pushing yourself to be the best tight end you can be. And definitely being a great teammate is a top priority as well."

The Exuberance of Youth
Mason, as a high draft choice, should remain a Jet a white longer than Jason, who returned to Miami for his final NFL season in 2011. And being that the NFL, as first-year head coach Aaron Glenn is the latest to remind us, is a young man's game, it may be significant that the young Taylor is the fifth-youngest Jets first- or second-round selection in the past 59 drafts, or since the first NFL common draft in 1967. The list of the Jets' youngest high draft picks since '67:

So for whatever reason — his youthful exuberance, his work ethic, his TE skills, his relishing the role of becoming the "safety blanket" for new QB Justin Fields and the Jets offense, all of the above — it's no longer about Predator vs. Alien, a.k.a. Dolphins vs. Jets. It's about the son carrying on the legacy of the father and creating his own legacy for the Green & White.

"I'm going to look up to him, do what he did, and hopefully have the same outcome he did in his career," Mason Taylor said. "But it's really just focusing on, every step of the way, making an impact for this organization. It's going to be huge for me."

"This is a new chapter," said Jason Taylor, who could have been speaking for Mason's new foundation but was instead speaking 15 years ago about himself. "I'm proud to be where I am now and I'm looking forward to creating some havoc for the Jets, winning some ballgames and winning some fans over here. I can't change everybody's mind, but I can help this team win some football games. In the meantime, I think we'll be all right."