Jason Taylor (American football) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Jason Taylor

Taylor with the Miami Dolphins in 2009
Miami Hurricanes
Position:	Defensive ends coach
Personal information
Born:	(1974-09-01) September 1, 1974 (age 50) Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:	244 lb (111 kg)
Career information
High school:	Woodland Hills (Pittsburgh)
College:	Akron (1993–1996)
NFL Draft:	1997 / Round: 3 / Pick: 73
Career history
As player:
Miami Dolphins (1997) Washington Redskins (2008) Miami Dolphins (2009) New York Jets (2010) Miami Dolphins (2011)
As coach:
St. Thomas Aquinas (FL) (2017–2019) Defensive line coach St. Thomas Aquinas (2020–2021) Defensive coordinator Miami (FL) (2022) Defensive analyst Miami (FL) (2023–present) Defensive ends coach
Career highlights and awards
NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2006) Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year (2007) 3× First-team All-Pro (2000, 2002, 2006) Second-team All-Pro (2001) 6× Pro Bowl (2000, 2002, 2004–2007) NFL sacks leader (2002) NFL forced fumbles leader (2006) PFWA All-Rookie Team (1997) NFL 2000s All-Decade Team Miami Dolphins Honor Roll Dolphins Walk of Fame (2018) 2× First-team All-MAC (1995, 1996) NFL record Most career fumble return touchdowns: 6
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 788 Sacks: 139.5 Safeties: 3 Forced fumbles: 46 Fumble recoveries: 29 Interceptions: 8 Pass deflections: 87 Defensive touchdowns: 9 Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR
Pro Football Hall of Fame

Jason Paul Taylor (born September 1, 1974) is a famous American former football player. He played as a defensive end and linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). Most of his career was spent with the Miami Dolphins. Today, he is the defensive ends coach for the Miami Hurricanes.

Jason Taylor played in the NFL for 15 years. He was with the Dolphins for 13 of those years. He also played one season each for the Washington Redskins (2008) and the New York Jets (2010). He was picked by the Dolphins in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft.

Taylor quickly became one of the best defensive ends in NFL history. He holds many records for the Dolphins. He played 204 games for them, more than any other defensive player. He is also the Dolphins' all-time leader in sacks with 131. Overall, he is 7th on the NFL's all-time sacks list with 139.5 sacks. He also holds the NFL record for most fumble return touchdowns with six. He retired from playing football on December 28, 2011.

Throughout his career, Taylor won many awards. He was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. In 2007, he received the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. This award recognizes both great playing and helping the community. He was chosen for the Pro Bowl six times. In 2017, Jason Taylor was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This is a huge honor for football players.

Early Life and High School Football

Jason Taylor grew up near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He played high school football at Woodland Hills High School. He was taught at home from 10th to 12th grade.

College Football Career

Jason Taylor went to the University of Akron. He played college football for the Akron Zips football team for four years. He was a starter for three of those years. During his college career, he made 279 tackles and 21 sacks. He also recovered seven fumbles and caught three interceptions.

He was chosen as a first-team All-Mid-American Conference player twice. As a junior, he was even named an All-America player. In 1996, he had an amazing game against Virginia Tech. He made 12 tackles, two sacks, and recovered two fumbles. He even tackled a punt returner in the end zone for a safety.

Taylor also played basketball for the Akron Zips men's basketball team. In 2004, he was honored by being added to Akron's Ring of Honor.

Professional Football Journey

Jason Taylor was picked by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 1997 NFL draft. He was the 73rd player chosen overall. He signed a four-year contract with the Dolphins in July 1997. He quickly became one of the top defensive ends in the league.

Starting Strong with the Dolphins (1997–1999)

Taylor became a starter in his first year, 1997. He recorded five sacks and forced two fumbles. In 1998, he had nine sacks and batted down eight passes. In 1999, he caught his first of eight career NFL interceptions.

Becoming a Star (2000–2003)

In 2000, Taylor had a great season with 14.5 sacks. He was chosen for his first Pro Bowl. In 2001, he signed a big contract to stay with the Dolphins. In 2002, Taylor led the entire NFL in sacks with 18.5. This tied a Dolphins team record. He also forced seven fumbles. He was named an All-Pro player and went back to the Pro Bowl. In 2003, he continued his strong play with 13 sacks.

Continued Dominance (2004–2005)

In 2004, the Dolphins extended Taylor's contract. He had 9.5 sacks and picked off a pass that year. In 2005, he recorded 12 sacks, forced four fumbles, and batted down 10 passes.

NFL Defensive Player of the Year (2006)

Taylor had one of his best years ever in 2006. He made 13.5 sacks and forced nine fumbles. He also had two interceptions, both of which he returned for touchdowns. Because of this amazing performance, he was named the NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named an All-Pro player for the second time.

Setting Records (2007)

In 2007, Taylor reached double-digit sacks again. He also caught another interception, his seventh career pick. Five of his fumble recoveries were returned for touchdowns, which is an NFL record. With eight career defensive touchdowns, he became the all-time leader for defensive linemen.

In 2007, Dolphins fans voted Taylor onto the All-time Miami Dolphins team.

Time with the Washington Redskins (2008)

Taylor during the Redskins' training camp in 2008

On July 20, 2008, Jason Taylor was traded to the Washington Redskins. This trade happened after the Redskins had two defensive ends get injured. Taylor played one season with the Redskins. On March 2, 2009, he was released by the Redskins.

Return to the Miami Dolphins (2009)

Taylor (#99) playing outside linebacker for the Dolphins in 2009

Taylor with the Dolphins in 2009

On May 13, 2009, Taylor signed a one-year deal to return to the Miami Dolphins. On November 1, he set the NFL record for most fumble returns for a touchdown. He also extended his NFL record for most defensive touchdowns by a defensive lineman to nine. He caught his eighth and final career interception in a game against Tampa Bay.

Playing for the New York Jets (2010)

Taylor signed with the New York Jets on April 20, 2010. On September 19, 2010, he sacked New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady. This sack moved him into the top 10 all-time in NFL sacks. By the end of the season, he was tied for 8th all-time with 132.5 sacks. In January 2011, Taylor played in his first Conference Championship game. The Jets lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers. After one season, Taylor was released by the Jets on February 28, 2011.

Final Stint with the Miami Dolphins (2011)

Taylor (left) with Dolphins wide receiver Brandon Marshall in 2011

On August 1, 2011, Taylor signed with the Miami Dolphins for a third time. During a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, he sacked Michael Vick twice. This gave him 139.5 sacks for his career, placing him 6th all-time in NFL history.

Retirement and Broadcasting

On December 28, 2011, Jason Taylor announced he would retire after the 2011 season. His last game was on January 1, 2012, a win against the New York Jets. After the game, his teammates carried him off the field. Jason retired with 139.5 sacks, 47 forced fumbles, and 29 fumble recoveries. He still holds the NFL record for six fumble return touchdowns. He also had eight career interceptions with three returned for touchdowns. His nine defensive touchdowns are an NFL record for defensive linemen.

After retiring, Taylor became a guest analyst for NFL Live on ESPN. He joined ESPN as a full-time analyst in June 2012. He also serves on the board of the NFL Foundation.

On October 14, 2012, Taylor and his teammate Zach Thomas were inducted into the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll.

Taylor's bronze bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame

On February 4, 2017, Jason Taylor was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. This was his first year of being eligible. He became the 10th long-time Miami Dolphin to enter the Hall of Fame.

Awards and Honors

Jason Taylor won many awards during his career. These include:

• 2006 NFL Defensive Player of the Year
• Two-time AFC Defensive Player of the Year (2002, 2006)
• 2007 Walter Payton Man of the Year Award (for on-field play and community work)
• Six-time Pro Bowl selection (2000, 2002, 2004–2007)
• Four-time First or Second-team All-Pro (2000–2002, 2006)

He also won the "AFC Defensive Player of the Week" award seven times. This is the fifth most ever by a defensive player. He also won three "NFC/AFC Defensive Player of the Month" awards. This is the third most ever by a defensive player.

Taylor (#99) with fellow 2009 Dolphins team captains Chad Pennington, Joey Porter and Jason Ferguson

Taylor also won many team awards for the Dolphins:

• Dolphins Newcomer of the Year Award (1997)
• "Dan Marino" Team MVP Award a record four times (2000, 2002, 2004, 2006)
• "Don Shula" Team Leadership Award four times (2002, 2006–2007, 2009)

His jersey number (#99) has not been given to another Dolphins player since he retired.

NFL Career Statistics

Dancing with the Stars

Jason Taylor was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars (American TV series) season 6 in 2008. His dance partner was Edyta Sliwinska. They performed many different dances. They even got a perfect score of 30 out of 30 in the finals. They finished as the runner-up in the competition.

Dance Performances

Helping the Community

In 2004, Jason Taylor and his first wife, Katina, started the Jason Taylor Foundation. Their goal was to make life better for children in South Florida. The foundation has done many good things:

• They created the Jason Taylor Reading Room, an after-school program to help kids learn to read.
• They helped rename the learning center at Holtz Children's Hospital to "The Jason Taylor Children's Learning Center."
• They gave college scholarships to 11 sixth-grade students.
• They started the "Big Screens-Big Dreams" program to show inspiring movies to student-athletes.
• They gave 60 children $300 for back-to-school shopping through the "Cool Gear for the School Year" program.

Taylor has also worked with the Invicta Watch Group on charity projects.

Personal Life and Family

Jason Taylor and his ex-wife Katina have three children: sons Isaiah and Mason, and daughter Zoe. Katina is the sister of Jason's former teammate Zach Thomas. Jason and Katina divorced in 2015.

Jason Taylor became engaged to Monica Taylor on July 2, 2019. They got married on August 18, 2020. They welcomed a baby boy in August 2021.

Taylor lives in Plantation, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. His sister Joy Taylor is a former news anchor for Fox Sports 1. His son Mason played college football at LSU and was drafted by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft. His son Isaiah plays for the University of Miami.

Coaching Career

Jason Taylor coached at St. Thomas Aquinas High School (Florida) for five years, from 2017 to 2021. For his first three years, he was the defensive line coach. For his last two years, he was the defensive coordinator. During his time there, St. Thomas Aquinas High School won three state championships in a row (2019-2021).

In 2022, Taylor started coaching college football. He joined Mario Cristobal's staff at the University of Miami (FL) as a defensive analyst. In 2023, Taylor was promoted to be the team's defensive ends coach.

See also

In Spanish: Jason Taylor para niños