Mason Taylor’s production in the passing game while he was at LSU helped make him the 42nd pick in this year’s draft, but the tight end wants to be known as more than just a receiver for the Jets.
Taylor set a single-season record for LSU tight ends with 55 catches last season, so it’s no secret that the Jets like his skills in that department. Head coach Aaron Glenn said Taylor was outstanding catching the ball during the offseason program, but that the rookie’s “blocking is what really gets me going” and Taylor said it’s the area he’s been focusing on since joining the team.
“I think just going back to the fundamentals — that’s in the run game, the footwork, the hand placement, leverage -- all the little things, that kind of separates yourself in the NFL,” Taylor said, via the team’s website. “So, me critiquing, then trying to perfect that and be a full tight end is the biggest thing for me right now.”
Jeremy Ruckert is the top returning tight end for the Jets, but Glenn’s arrival means it is a new offense and Taylor will be hard to take off the field if he develops blocking ability to mirror what he’s already shown as a receiver.
Former Jets defensive end Gerry Philbin has died, the team announced. He was 83.
Philbin was on the Super Bowl III championship team and is a member of the team’s Ring of Honor.
He started 109 games and played three others in nine seasons from 1964-72 before a final season in Philadelphia in 1973 when he played 13 games.
The Jets selected Philbin in the third round of the 1964 draft, and the Lions took him in the same round of the NFL draft. He signed with the Jets and was selected to play in the AFL All-Star Game in 1968 and ’69.
Philbin was a first-team defensive end on the all-time All-AFL squad.
He unofficially recorded 64.5 regular-season sacks, according to team records, which is the fourth-most in franchise history. The Jets recognize Philbin and Verlon Biggs as the only players in franchise history to get 10-plus sacks in four consecutive seasons.
After football, Philbin sold real estate in Florida before moving back to the Northeast. He found his way back to Long Island, where he owned a sand and gravel business, but returned to Florida in retirement to be near to his children.
It’s going to be one last ride for Aaron Rodgers in 2025.
In a Tuesday interview with the Pat McAfee show, Rodgers revealed that he’s likely to retire after spending the coming season with the Steelers.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is it,” Rodgers said. “That’s why we just did a one-year deal. Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on it or anything. This was really about finishing with a lot of love, and fun, and peace for the career that I’ve had.
“I mean, I’ve played 20 freaking years. It’s been a long run and I’ve enjoyed it. What better place to finish than in one of the cornerstone franchises of the NFL? With Mike Tomlin and a great group of leadership, and great guys, and a city that expects you to win.”
Rodgers, 41, officially signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh earlier this month, ending a flirtation that had lasted throughout the offseason.
With this revelation, it now means that the Jets, Patriots, Bengals, Chargers, Bears, Ravens, Lions, and Browns will all be a part of Rodgers’ season-long goodbye, as those are the teams the Steelers will play on the road. Pittsburgh will also host Green Bay on Sunday Night Football in Week 8, setting up a potentially emotional showdown against the team that Rodgers spent the vast majority of his decades-long career with.
The Steelers — who usually play their starters in the preseason — will also play the Jaguars and the Panthers on the road in August.
Jets owner Woody Johnson once served as the United States ambassador to the United Kingdom and he’s now buying into England’s biggest sports league.
The Premier League soccer team Crystal Palace announced on Monday that Johnson has agreed to purchase a stake in the team. He is set to buy the 43 percent share owned by John Textor for what Mark Ogden of ESPN.com reports is a $254 million deal.
“Whilst the completion is pending approval from the Premier League and Women’s Super League, we do not envisage any issues and look forward to welcoming Woody as a partner and director of the club,” Crystal Palace said in a statement.
The move makes Johnson partners with a couple of other NFL owners as Commanders principal owner Josh Harris, and Commanders minority owner David Blitzer own the majority stake in the team along with Steve Parish.
A year after Jets receiver Malachi Corley arrived as a third-round pick, his time with the team could be running out.
That’s the takeaway from an item posted earlier today by Rich Cimini of ESPN.com regarding Corley’s current status. With the regime that drafted Corley gone, he needs to prove himself with the new one. Because he missed plenty of the offseason program with an undisclosed injury, he’ll have work to do to get the attention of the new coaching staff.
“He’s going to have to find a way to catch himself up,” offensive coordinator Tanner Engstrand recently said, via Cimini.
Coach Aaron Glenn said that Corley has yet to secure any sort of role with the team because he hasn’t been available.
“There’s a plan for him, and we’re going to make sure that we try to utilize him to what he can do best, and we’ve seen that in college,” Glenn said, via Cimini. “Hopefully, he gets well soon, and we get a chance to utilize his skill set.”
Last year, Corley didn’t produce much. In nine games, he had three catches for 16 yards and two rushing attempts for 26 yards, including one that went 18 yards before he dropped the ball short of the goal line, resulting in a turnover against the Texans.
This year, the clock is ticking. As Corley’s position coach makes clear.
“My old coach, Bill Parcells, used to say the first thing you need to be is you need to be available,” receivers coach Shawn Jefferson said, per Cimini. “He’s missed some time, and there’s a learning curve here, so he’s in catch-up mode right now.”
If Corley doesn’t catch up, he won’t catch on. Which means he could be catching a one-way bus out of town, in time.
