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Jets head coach Aaron Glenn on second-year tight end Mason Taylor:
“I’m really looking forward to seeing what [Mason Taylor] does this year. I think Mason is going to have a hell of a year. I really do. Because there are some things that we talked about. There are things I talked to his dad about when we were in Miami working those [Miami Hurricane] players out that you’re going to see him take another step. So, I’m excited about that player.”
Clearly he should be excited about the player.
He’s right out of Central Casting to play tight end in the NFL.
6-5, 251 with 4.65 speed and great bloodlines, the son of Hall-of-Fame defensive end Jason Taylor, and nephew of Hall-of-Fame linebacker Zach Taylor. He was the all-time leader for receptions by a tight end in LSU history. He had 55 receptions in his final season at LSU in 2024.
“I love this player who is ready to step in right away as a polished, instinctive player,” Dan Jeremiah said after the Jets picked him in the second round of the 2025 draft.
So he was ready to come in last year and contribute immediately.
But with all that said, his rookie season last year with the Jets was somewhat pedestrian, finishing with 44 receptions in 13 games. His season ended after 13 games due to a neck injury
It was not a bad season, but in too many games, you didn’t notice him much.
But it’s hard to blame him for having a “somewhat pedestrian” rookie season.
He was held back by the same issue that the wide receiver room, which the echo chamber considers a weakness, after Garrett Wilson.
Last time I checked, targets in the passing game, can’t throw the ball to themselves. Sometimes we would do that in the yard as kids, but that doesn’t work in the NFL.
And when you are a tight end in a passing offense that was generally a one-read approach, you are not going to see the ball a ton, especially when you have a highly paid #1 receiver who was the focal point of offense for the first half of the season (before he got hurt).
There is all this talk on the internet about the Jets needing to pick a WR with the 16th pick in the first round to complement Garrett Wilson.
How about Taylor?
How often have we seen a really good tight ends that turn into a major focal point in a passing offense?
Hey, look at Geno Smith’s work last season in Las Vegas with Brock Bowers before the Raiders tight end hurt his knee, knocking him out of the lineup quite a bit later in the season.
Bowers was a major focal point of that offense.
Just like another guy in the desert before him, Darren Waller.
Travis Kelce in Kansas City.
New Hall-of-Fame Antonio Gates with the San Diego Chargers.
I could go on
I’m not saying that Taylor will turn into any of those cats, but you never know if you start featuring him more.
“He’s got outstanding hands and tracks the ball naturally,” Jeremiah said.
Taylor is also a fluid mover for his size, with pretty loose hips, helping him cut away from linebackers and safeties.
I’m telling you, if this guy was featured more than last year, he could be an 80-90 catches.
Taylor’s issue for chunks of last season, just like Adonai Mitchell and others, was the Jets’ decisions at QB.
Justin Fields started nine games, went 2-7, and threw just seven touchdown passes. Brady Cooks went 0-4 and threw just two touchdown passes.
Tyrod Taylor was the gold standard in terms of the Jets’ QB room last year, going 1-3 and throwing five touchdowns. He probably should have been 2-2 with his performance in Tampa Bay, but the defense, playing against an offensive line with four backups, could not hold a late lead.
So the bottom line is people who are so obsessed with the Jets’ need for weapons, who leave out the team’s QB situation last year, are being disingenuous.
Not sure what Glenn and Jason Taylor talked about at Miami’s pro day, but the most important thing the Jets brass should have said to Mason’s father is, “We are going to get better QB play this year so your son can realize his potential.”
April 10, 2026
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