The path seemed clear from the start.
The Jets selected tight end Mason Taylor out of LSU in the second round with the 42nd pick.
He impressed early with his blocking technique coming off of a three-year career of 129 catches for 1,308 yards and six touchdowns as a Tiger.
The 21-year-old was the instant favorite to start over Jeremy Ruckert, Stone Smartt, and Zach Kuntz. He was set to get a ton of reps among veteran stars in his rookie season.
It was the ideal scenario for the son of Hall of Famer and former Jets pass rusher Jason Taylor.
Mason Taylor looks on from the field during an NFL football game against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on November 13, 2025 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Getty Images
Across the first five games, he got to work quickly. He tallied 20 receptions over 28 targets for 175 yards. Taylor averaged 5.6 targets per game.
However, in the past five games, Taylor’s involvement has dipped.
He has 20 targets that landed 14 catches for 101 yards for an average of just four targets per game, including his four targets for four catches and 30 yards in a 27-14 loss to the Patriots last week.
When asked on Friday if he wanted to be involved more in the passing game, Taylor gave a humble response.
“I mean, it’s all fun and games when you’re scoring touchdowns and catching passes, but as long as we’re winning games, that’s the main focus for us as a team,” he told The Post. “And I’ll let the coaches decide on how to use my abilities to help benefit this team and we’ll just go from there. That’s how I look at it.”
Taylor added he had not talked to any coaches about the dip in production.
“That’s a coach’s decision,” he said.
Some action is better than none at all. Yet, with a struggling offense that had its hand forced to make a quarterback switch after averaging a league-worst 139.9 yards passing per game, it’s a wonder why Taylor — a player who matters for both now and for the future — isn’t being used as often.
On Friday, coach Aaron Glenn acknowledged this gap and his desire to involve Taylor more.
“He’s one of our dynamic players. So, he’s always in the plan of making sure that we get him the ball,” Glenn said. “I mean, things happen sometimes where it doesn’t get to him, but there’s not a week that we go by that we don’t plan on trying to get him the ball, and he’s always shown what he can do as far as a receiving tight end and as a blocker. But being one of our threats, we have to make sure that we get him the ball, so you’re absolutely right about that.”
Mason Taylor reacts during the second half against the Cleveland Browns in the game at MetLife Stadium on November 09, 2025. Getty Images
A change for Taylor may come Sunday with backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor under center in place of Justin Fields, who was benched Monday.
Fields failed to get the offense going and produce a functional passing game. His inefficiency may be a reason why the tight end hasn’t had the chance to show his true potential often throughout the first 10 games of the season.
Across his 48 targets this season, Mason Taylor has caught 34 passes for 276 yards, along with a touchdown that came in Week 8 during a Jets win over the Bengals, their first victory of the season.
“I definitely think I’ve gained a lot of confidence every single week more and more,” Taylor said. “Just learning from my mistakes, and I feel like I’m getting more experience for my confidence. I just think every single week I’m getting better, finding new things to get better at.”