Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, tissue in hand, dabbed tears from his eyes Friday night. He was overcome with emotion minutes after his son, former LSU tight end Mason Taylor, was drafted in the second round by the New York Jets — the team he played for in 2010.
“The sun has set on my career and I’m done, so it’s awesome to be able to sit back and watch him,” Jason said on a Zoom call with New York reporters. “To watch him walk through the same facility and use the locker room and take that same path that I took — you’re trying to make me cry. I’m not going to do it.”
Taylor did anyway. He paused a few seconds, choked up. Then something amazing happened.
Lightening the mood, Taylor said, “I have to say it: J-E-T-S! Jets, Jets, Jets!”
To appreciate that, one must understand the complicated relationship between Taylor and the Jets. As a longtime Miami Dolphins legend, he was reviled by Jets’ fans. Few, if any, opponents enraged Jets fans more than Taylor.
And then he signed with the Jets in 2010, a season that ended with a loss in the AFC championship game — their last playoff appearance. He enjoyed his season in New York, where the fans came to appreciate him.
And now the hate-turned-love relationship between the Taylor family and the Jets is all love again.
“My family’s really supporting, my dad’s a big supporter, so, I mean, I hate to say it, but I think he’ll love the Jets,” Mason, smiling, said on a Zoom.
Mason Taylor was selected with the 42nd pick, giving the Jets another potential starter on offense. In the first round, they chose tackle Armand Membou with the No. 7 pick.
Mason, LSU’s all-time leader in receptions (129) and receiving yards (1,308) by a tight end, said he was surprised that the Jets selected him, considering there wasn’t much contact with them throughout the pre-draft process. Jason admitted there was fleeting hope that the Dolphins would pick his son with the 37th pick after trading up.
Mason was 6 years old when his dad played for the Jets. They lived in Manhattan, and he has vivid memories of their time in the big city.
“It was just me, my brother and my sister, running around with my mom in Central Park, tackling each other,” he said. “We went to the park maybe every single day to keep us entertained as kids. But running around there and running around New York, it was fun. It was a blast. It’s definitely crazy and eye-opening, knowing that I’ll be there now older. It’s just an amazing experience and I’m so excited for this.”
Jason Taylor said his sons, Mason and Isaiah, punched up photos on their phones of them wearing green hair and 99 jerseys at MetLife Stadium when they were kids.
“I’ve got a lot of really, really fond memories,” Jason said. “Listen, my greatest team success was in New York. … A part of my heart has always been in New York, the greatest city on the planet. I love it and I’m glad he has a chance to go play there now. It’s going to be amazing.”
Reminded that the Jets haven’t been to the playoffs since he left, Taylor was taken aback.
“I didn’t know that. Is that right?” he said. “Let’s change that.”
There will be a lot of emotion for Jets-Dolphins games. After all, Mason’s uncle is Zach Thomas, a former Dolphins legend and a Pro Football Hall of Famer. Thomas attended Mason’s draft party Friday night in South Florida. He, too, was emotional, according to Jason.
“I’m sure he’s inside crying somewhere,” Jason said. “Obviously, we’re all so proud.”
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