Jason Taylor: Miami legend goes from Dolphins to Hurricanes
MIAMI (BVM) – For years, Jason Taylor was a player no opposing offensive lineman wanted to see lined up across from him. A true force throughout his incredible 15-year NFL career, Taylor made his name known as one of the best defensive ends the game has seen.
Coming from a small school in Akron, Taylor made a big imprint on the Miami Dolphins franchise. He continues to stay close with the organization today, but has also taken on a new role recently for the city’s other notable football team.
Jason Taylor’s early life, college career
Taylor was born in Pittsburgh where he was raised by his mother. He played his high school football at Woodland Hills. The defensive lineman went west for his college career, attending the University of Akron where he soon became a star.
A three-year starter at Akron who also played basketball while with the Zips, Taylor racked up 279 tackles, a school-record 21 sacks and three interceptions during the course of his college football career. In his junior and senior seasons, Taylor was named a first-team Mid-American Conference (MAC) performer as well as an All-American.
Jason Taylor’s NFL career
Despite coming from a small school, Taylor’s upside was evident. Jimmy Johnson and the Miami Dolphins decided to take a chance on the defensive end with pick No. 73 in the third round of the 1997 NFL Draft. In Miami, Taylor got to team up with another famous Pittsburgh native, Dan Marino. Over the next decade, the Akron product rewarded the Dolphins by becoming one of the best defensive linemen in the league.
In 1997, the #Dolphins selected little-known Jason Taylor, DE, out of Akron. He went on to be a 6x Pro Bowler, 3x All-Pro and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/LEDra5RoNI
— NFL Draft Lounge (@NFLDraftLounge) April 25, 2020
Taylor became a starter for the Dolphins in his rookie season, and recorded 40 or more tackles in each of his first three years in the league. He also made nine sacks in his second season in 1998, flashing his upside as a pass rusher.
That would be further seen during a breakout 2000 campaign where Taylor had 14.5 sacks, 65 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, an interception and four fumble recoveries, one of which went for a touchdown. Signed to a six-year, $42 million contract following his first Pro Bowl season in 2000, Taylor continued to shine for the Dolphins throughout the early part of the new decade.
Following a then-career-high 71-tackle season in 2001, Taylor earned his second Pro Bowl nod and All-Pro honors in 2002 as he tallied 70 tackles, seven forced fumbles and a league-high 18.5 sacks. The Akron product followed that year up with 22.5 sacks combined between the 2003 and 2004 seasons.
Taylor made his third Pro Bowl appearance in 2004, which would begin a stretch of four consecutive Pro Bowl seasons for the defensive standout. From 2005 to 2007, Taylor had 11 or more sacks in each season, 191 total tackles, 16 forced fumbles and three interceptions.
Despite playing with multiple injuries as well as compartment syndrome, the 2006 campaign was perhaps the best of Taylor’s illustrious career as he had 62 tackles, 13.5 sacks, 10 forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions – both of which he returned for touchdowns – as the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year. A true ironman, Taylor did not miss a single game from 2000 through 2007. He also won the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award following the 2007 season.
Seemingly at the peak of his powers still at age 33, Taylor’s relationship with the Dolphins soured during the 2008 offseason. In July of that year, the defensive end was traded to the Washington Redskins for a second-round pick – which later became Pat White – as well as a sixth-round selection.
However, playing in just 13 games with Washington, Taylor’s numbers steeply declined, and he was released by the team after the 2008 season. That led to a reunion with the Dolphins in 2009 where Taylor got back to form with 42 tackles and seven sacks. In 2010, Taylor signed on for a one-year stint with the rival New York Jets, but again went back to Miami to finish out his career in 2011.
Across his incredible 15 years in the league, the six-time Pro Bowl selection amassed 788 tackles and 139.5 sacks which remains the seventh-best mark in the league all time. Taylor also forced 46 fumbles in his career, recovered 29 fumbles, grabbed eight interceptions and scored nine defensive touchdowns. At the time of his retirement, Taylor held nearly a dozen Dolphins franchise records and was first in the NFL for all-time fumble recoveries and fumble-recovery touchdowns.
🔥 139.5 sacks
🔥 578 tackles
🔥 40 forced fumbles
🔥 First-ballot Hall of FamerHappy Birthday @JasonTaylor! pic.twitter.com/f05KB4xxJ0
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) September 1, 2020
On this day in 2012, @JasonTaylor is carried off the field by his teammates in the final game of his record-setting career. #FinsUp pic.twitter.com/sPHW0OMfA1
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) January 1, 2020
Jason Taylor’s personal life, net worth and achievements
Taylor got married to Katina Thomas – the sister of former teammate Zach Thomas – in 2000. Although they have since divorced, the couple had three kids together: Zoe, Isaiah and Mason. Taylor has now been married to his current wife, former Dolphins cheerleader Monica, since 2020, and the couple has one kid together: 1-year-old Jordan. The former Dolphins star is estimated to have a net worth of $25 million.
Jason’s sons have both followed in his footsteps. Isaiah Taylor is currently a safety for the Arizona Wildcats and saw action in four games in 2021.
Thank God For It All 🙏🏾 100% COMMITTED 🔵🔴 #BearDown #BuildingtheA @CoachHarriott @JasonTaylor @CoachJeddFisch @STA_Football @larryblustein @TheCribSouthFLA @ArizonaFBall @AZATHLETICS pic.twitter.com/lc6d0b2EcQ
— isaiah taylor (@isaiah_taylor4) January 9, 2021
Meanwhile, younger brother Mason Taylor is getting set to begin his freshman season as a tight end at LSU.
https://twitter.com/MasonTaylor52/status/1471254631745474561
In addition, Jason also has three siblings: Tiffany, Joy and Noah. Joy is a media personality and co-host of the FS1 show “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” and a host of “The Joy Taylor Show” on Fox Sports Radio.
Along with the many accolades he earned during his NFL career, Jason has also been honored in his post-playing career. Following his time with the Zips, the defensive end was inducted into the Akron Ring of Honor. Jason is also a member of the Dolphins Ring of Honor and the Dolphins Walk of Fame, with a potential number retirement up next.
However, the former All-Pro’s crowning achievement was becoming a first-ballot Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. He was enshrined in 2017, allowing him to take a fond look back at his incredible football journey.
He's officially in the Hall of Fame. Congrats @JasonTaylor. pic.twitter.com/i6qJMh4iRG
— Miami Dolphins (@MiamiDolphins) August 6, 2017
“You know, I honestly can’t believe I’m here,” Jason said during his enshrinement speech in Canton. “In 1992, I was at the University of Akron, just 20 miles north of here. Twenty miles away, but, you know, it really could have been a million. Back then I couldn’t fathom that over the course of the next two decades, step by step, I’d travel those 20 miles to be on this stage wearing this jacket. Twenty years to travel 20 miles, but it was worth every bit of it, I’ll tell you what.”
Jason Taylor’s post-playing life, coaching career
During his playing career, Jason was already finding other avenues of success outside of football. In 2008, he competed on ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars.” In 2004, the Dolphins great founded the Jason Taylor Foundation, aimed to assist and develop programs which help children in South Florida with a focus on improved healthcare, education and quality of life. Jason has also held his Jason Taylor Football Camp to assist youth in learning the game.
In 2012, Jason joined ESPN as a pro football analyst. He has since become an analyst for the Dolphins during their preseason games on South Florida’s CBS4.
However, where the former defensive standout is making arguably his greatest impact in retirement is through coaching. In 2017, the Hall of Famer was hired as defensive line coach at St. Thomas Aquinas High School. He moved up to defensive coordinator in 2020 and got to coach each of his sons through the program.
Now, the 47-year-old is taking his coaching career one step further. In March, it was announced that the Dolphins legend would be staying in Miami, joining Mario Cristobal’s new staff with the Miami Hurricanes as a defensive analyst where he will continue to teach the next generation while hoping to find new success in the city where he became a star.
NFL Hall of Famer and Dolphins legend Jason Taylor is joining the Miami Hurricanes football program in an off-field role, per @247Canes.
Taylor was DC for powerhouse high school St. Thomas Aquinas prior to this move. pic.twitter.com/lKk4bdB0Ed
— PFF College (@PFF_College) March 7, 2022
“I’m hoping to give these kids everything I have, everything I can knowledge-wise, mentorship, life advice, discipline, if that’s what’s needed,” Jason said in an interview with miamihurricanes.com. “Whatever it is, give them whatever they need and provide them with all the resources to be successful and achieve their goals. I’m a servant leader. I’m just here to help serve. And obviously, I want to win. Anything I’m associated with, I want to win. I know I’ve got a son at Arizona and a son at LSU, but I damn sure hope the University of Miami wins a championship.”
As the Hurricanes begin a new era and Jason begins the next chapter of his football life still in Miami, it is hard not to think about the past. What Jason did throughout his 13 seasons with the Dolphins may never be matched, and he left a legacy throughout Miami and across the NFL that will live on for some time.
