The skinny kid from Pittsburgh has undoubtedly made it.
Made it to a point in life where a few quick calls on his cell phone to Michael Jordan, Tom Brady and Dan Marino could easily line up a morning foursome on the golf course.
“Good friends,” Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor said about each of them.
Made it to the point where a thriving marriage to Katina, the sister of linebacker Zach Thomas, has produced three children with better genes than any swanky clothing store on Lincoln Road could ever stitch. Made it to the point where, at 32, the most feared defensive player in football has the charisma to make every quarterback look up to him on Friday night and look up at him on Sunday afternoon.
“There’s nothing better than hitting quarterbacks,” Taylor said.
Life is good for Taylor. But at the pinnacle of an already impressive career that began as a third-round pick out of the University of Akron, the face of the Dolphins franchise is now staring into one of his biggest challenges yet: How can he possibly make it better?
“His wheels are always turning,” Katina said. “He can juggle more things than anybody I’ve ever been around — and do it efficiently. He’s a great father, a great husband, he’s got football going on and his business ventures are growing.
“And it all works.”
There’s no doubt what Taylor still wants when it comes to football. As the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, he already has piled up plenty of individual accolades to make him happy. Now, he wants a Super Bowl.
But Taylor never has been the reason for the Dolphins’ distress since his arrival. So until his team can carry some of the weight, the star can only continue to do so much (and he has certainly done plenty).
Although his focus remains fixed on football, Taylor has used the last few off-seasons to begin building a career in business that could be just as successful when the games are over.
“It keeps you active,” Taylor said. “It keeps you going. Sometimes, idle hands are the devil’s work.”
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Beyond all of his national and local endorsements, Taylor is an equity partner and president of franchise development in JuiceBlendz, a new South Florida smoothie franchise.
He is an investor in Bioheart, a company that is developing nonsurgical alternatives to replacing scar tissue in heart patients. He also has an invested interest in Enlyten SportStrips, a product designed to replace electrolytes.
He also runs one of the community’s most successful charities in the Jason Taylor Foundation, which has raised nearly $1.5 million to benefit children.
“He’s one of those guys who is confident at what he does, so he puts in the work and the effort, and he becomes good at it,” said defensive tackle Vonnie Holliday, who plans to enter into a joint business venture with Taylor at some point.
“Even when it comes to his business deals. He researches them. He’s very informed about them.
“He’s very educated, and I think he’s going to be a pretty savvy businessman when he’s done.”
On top of the business deals, Taylor also has another passion and curiosity that he would like to explore soon: acting. At some point, if it works out, the defensive end would like to see if his skills translate to Hollywood.
“I might struggle with the drama part of it,” Taylor said. “But action? Hell, I could go blow up and beat up. I think I could do it. But I wouldn’t leave the game, go to Hollywood, and think someone owes me a movie role because I’m a good football player. I know I’d have to work my way up.”
Taylor also noted he wouldn’t leave the game before he was ready to pursue Hollywood .
His wife doesn’t think he’ll walk away any time soon. Not while Taylor still clearly has the relentless passion and unfading athleticism to keep him running strong.
“You’re going to have to drag him kicking and screaming from football,” Katina said. “To play this game, and to be in that fraternity, it means so much to him. That’s going to be very, very hard for him to give up.”
Taylor’s life might be good now. It might even seem like things couldn’t get any better. Family. Friends. Fame. Football. All of it seems to be clicking for one of Miami’s most dynamic athletes.
But as any good businessman knows, there’s always room for growth.
“I can fit more on my plate,” Taylor said. “The way I play on Sundays is the way I live my life every day — whether it be in my family, business or sports. I’m a go-getter.
“And you know what? You can rest when you’re dead.”