Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
Taylor was eligible for the first time after retiring following the 2011 season. The long time defender was known for his on-field leadership, both in talent and in personality. While Taylor did not play his whole career in Miami, most of his playing time did come in a Dolphins uniform.
In his 15 NFL seasons, Taylor made the Pro Bowl six times. All six of those appearances came while the Hall of Famer was in Miami. 13 of Taylor's seasons were played at the building currently known as Hard Rock Stadium. Taylor was there for some of the good times in franchise history, as well as some of the low points.
Even Patriots quarterback Tom Brady took time to write an endorsement letter for Taylor to get into the Hall of Fame.
This is the letter from Patriots QB Tom Brady to HOF voters pushing for @JasonTaylor to be inducted @nbc6 pic.twitter.com/7S69LrZ3lK — NBC 6 Sports (@NBC6Sports) February 5, 2017
In 2008, Taylor was a member of the Washington Redskins. The following season, Taylor signed back with Miami for his second stint with the team. A year later in 2010, the 42-year old made a stop in New York with the Jets. Following that season, Taylor and the Dolphins came together once more for a third and final stint. Taylor's final game in the NFL came against the Jets on January 1, 2012.
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Following his election, Taylor passed along some comments to NBC Miami's Chris Fischer.
@JasonTaylor to @NBC6Sports on being voted in to #ProFootballHallofFame #Dolphins pic.twitter.com/ZV1FaO9y66 — Chris Fischer (@ChrisFischer07) February 5, 2017
During this long and storied career, Taylor amassed 525 tackles and 139.5 sacks. The DE led the NFL in sacks back in 2002 and was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2006. These accomplishments led to Taylor joining the Dolphins' Honor Roll back in 2012.
Taylor is the tenth man in franchise history to head to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He joins Larry Csonka, Bob Griese, Jim Langer, Paul Warfield, Nick Buoniconti, Larry Little, Dwight Stephenson, Don Shula and Dan Marino in Canton, Ohio.
Taylor and the rest of this year's class will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on August 5th.
