Jets' Mason Taylor excited to play at father's old home field
New York Jets tight end Mason Taylor (85) during practice, Saturday, July 26, 2025 in Florham Park,NJ Credit: Noah K. Murray
MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Mason Taylor spent a lot of time running around the Hard Rock Stadium field when he was a young boy. He played his first game there Monday night.
It was a homecoming for Taylor as the Jets faced the Dolphins with both teams looking for their first win of the season.
The Jets’ talented rookie tight end is the son of Hall of Fame defensive end Jason Taylor, the former Dolphin who played one season with the Jets. Mason grew up 15 minutes from the building that was called Pro Player Stadium when he was a toddler and then changed to Land Shark Stadium and Sun Life Stadium.
Mason, 21, has many memories from inside the stadium. One stands out more than the others.
“My dad getting carried off after his last game,” Taylor said, recalling his father leaving the field on his teammates’ shoulders after a win over the Jets on Jan. 1, 2012.
“That was probably my last memory, but definitely a lot of good memories there as a kid.”
Mason, who went to nearby St. Thomas Aquinas High School, got to add a new memory on Monday night in front of many family and friends. He returned home after his most productive professional game and with expectations of his role continuing to grow.
Taylor was targeted just three times and caught two passes in the Jets’ first two games combined. He was thrown to six times last week in Tampa and caught four passes for 18 yards. Two of the catches went for first downs.
Jets coach Aaron Glenn said the goal is “to do everything we can to try and get [Taylor] more involved” in the offense.
“He’s a dynamic player for us,” Glenn said. “When the ball gets in his hands, even when the ball’s not in his hands, he’s able to] make plays. As far as penalties are concerned. I think he drew two penalties last week. But he’s a guy that we all recognize needs to get the ball.
“He needs to get it. Breece Hall] needs to get. Those guys are playmakers for us. We got to do everything we can to put in their hands.”
The Jets, with quarterback Justin Fields back after missing last week’s game with a concussion, were expected to put an emphasis on spreading the ball around Monday night.
As expected, Garrett Wilson has been the Jets’ main receiving threat. The Jets have thrown the ball 77 times, with Wilson being targeted on 30 of them. He’s caught 21 of their 52 receptions. Hall, their top running back, and Taylor are next with eight and six catches, respectively.
Glenn said they will keep feeding Wilson because “he’s very electric when he gets the ball in his hands.” But the Jets are trying to be more balanced on offense so teams don’t focus all of their attention on Wilson.
“We want to make sure as an offense that we start to script our plays to make sure certain guys get the ball,” Glenn said.
Taylor is one of those players.
The Jets drafted him in the second round out of LSU. Taylor showed in training camp he could be a reliable pass-catching tight end after an impressive college career.
He was the most productive tight end in LSU history. Taylor had a school-record 55 catches as a junior and finished his LSU career with 129 receptions for 1,308 yards. Taylor played two seasons with Giants’ receiver Malik Nabers and Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr., who were the focal points of the offense.
Coming into this season, Taylor was expected to be the Jets’ second or third option in part because they don’t have a true No. 2 receiver. He also has shown the ability to make plays in the middle of the field and be somewhat of a security blanket for the quarterback.
Taylor will grow more into that role, although hearing that Glenn wants Taylor more involved made him feel good.
“It definitely means I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing,” Taylor said. “But at the end of the day whether I’m blocking 40 snaps a game, or having 12 receptions, whatever I have to do to make this team win and provide for this team is what I’m looking for.
“Definitely showing what I can do in practice is definitely the most important thing and letting the coaches handle the rest.”
Spoken like the son of a coach.
Jason Taylor is the defensive line coach for the University of Miami, where Taylor’s brother, Isaiah, is a safety. They get to play on the Hard Rock Stadium field or roam the sideline all the time.
On Monday night, it was Mason’s turn. He was excited to play on his home-away-from-home field for the first time.
“It feels pretty good,” Taylor said. “We just have to stay focused on what we have at hand. That’s getting better every single day. It’s an opportunity, Monday Night Football game, so that’s definitely exciting, but keeping emotions low and performing at our best is what’s needed.”
Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.
