COMING BACK

Less than two months after the 2008 “Dancing With the Stars” finale, Taylor was traded to the Washington Redskins for a pair of draft picks.

But Taylor would come back the following offseason as a free agent, just as he came back in 2011 after spending one year with the AFC East rival New York Jets.

For Taylor, playing his final NFL game with the Dolphins held a lot of significance.

“(It was) part of the reason why I kept coming back here after I had to leave a couple of times,” he said. “Part of the reason why I retired when I did instead of having to move on to another team again. I couldn’t do it again. I couldn’t leave home again and deal with walking away from this city, from this franchise and the fans again. There were a lot of reasons why I had to be back in Miami.”

Taylor’s career ended with a 19-17 Dolphins victory against the Jets on New Year’s Day 2012. For a moment, it looked as though the game would feature a Hollywood-type script when Taylor returned a fumble for an apparent touchdown, but the play was reversed after it was reviewed.

After the game, some of Taylor’s teammates carried him on their shoulders.

Even though Taylor had many memorable performances throughout his career, that game against the Jets was the one he picked when he was asked in a Facebook Live Q&A for his favorite game.

“My teammates carried me off the field after the game was over, which was very humbling,” Taylor said. “They’d done that for Dan Marino and Don Shula before in the stadium and to be a guy that they deemed worthy of being carried off the field was an amazing moment. I’ll never forget that. And we won the game.”

HELPING OUT

Five players in a Dolphins uniform for that 2011 season finale against the Jets are on the current roster, including tight end Anthony Fasano, who came back this offseason after spending four years with the Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans.

The others were center Mike Pouncey, defensive end Cameron Wake, safety Reshad Jones and long-snapper John Denney.

Wake has succeeded Taylor as the Dolphins’ prime-time pass rusher, and he’s been quick to credit JT for his mentoring — even though things between the two got off to a rocky start after Wake came down from the CFL in 2009.

“Early on, before we were chummy as we are, I was this unknown rookie coming in from the CFL and he was obviously JT,” Wake said. “We butted heads a little bit because I didn’t think I was a rookie, he obviously told me I was, and there was one day I didn’t get any food for the plane and we had some choice words with one another. (Then Head) Coach (Tony) Sparano at the time actually sat me down (and) said, ‘I’m not telling you what to do, you’re a grown man you can do what you want, but if I had Jason Taylor,’ and at the time Joey Porter was here too. ‘If I had those two guys at my disposal to pick their brains and find out how they do what they do, or who’s the best masseuse, or where to go on Friday to get your haircut, all these things that they know and all they’re asking me for is some chicken, it might be worthwhile to take part in that silly rookie tradition.’ Needless to say, I had some chicken for them the next week.”

Whether it was because he brought the chicken, who knows, but Taylor made it a point to tutor Wake, who applied those lessons well enough that he’s been asked a couple of times this year about the possibility of one day following Taylor into the Hall of Fame.

“We could stay here for another 30-40 minutes just talking about all of the great things that I got to take from him and his game, not just on the field but off the field as well — being professional,” Wake said. “Literally, I feel like he’s probably the guy who influenced me the most when I got down here. I still keep in touch with him and we’re still close. It’s a tremendous, tremendous honor to be selected (to the Hall of Fame). Those are the kind of things that people dream of. I’m sure he did when he was a young guy coming up in the game. A guy like that, when you start off your career and kind of pave the way and put you on the path, I couldn’t thank him enough. I’m just happy to even be mentioned in the same sentence with that guy. I’m obviously proud of him to achieve what he has.”

To this day, Taylor is showing he’s willing to help out.

After the Dolphins selected him in the first round of the 2017 draft, defensive end Charles Harris reached out to Taylor about working with him and the Hall of Famer gladly obliged.

FAMILY FIRST

Taylor will be working this fall with the St. Thomas Aquinas football team, which will be shooting for its fourth consecutive state title.

He’ll be doing it for one reason — and one reason only. His oldest, 14-year-old Isaiah, will be a freshman at St. Thomas Aquinas.

“I’m just following my kids, man,” said Taylor, who will be joined on the staff by Madison, whose son also will be a freshman at St. Thomas Aquinas. “The game is what they play. My whole goal in life is … being a Pro Football Hall of Famer is great. If they had a Father Hall of Fame, like I want to die and them put on my tombstone he was a Hall of Fame dad. That’s all I frickin’ care about.”

Taylor has two other children, son Mason, 13, and daughter Zoe, 11.

He has three sisters (Tiffanie, Joy and Grace) and one brother (Noah).

They play an important role in his life as well.

“When Jason bought my mother a house, that was a really special moment for my mother and my younger brother and sister,” said Joy, who is the host on FS1’s “Undisputed.” “We were in high school. He’d always promised that he would buy my mom a house and he made true on that and she’s still with that house today in Pittsburgh. I spent my final years of high school there. It’s been like the house, big momma’s house. He bought my sister a house, too, my oldest sister. She’s raised her kids in that house also. He’s a really generous and really loving guy. He’s always very humble about it. He doesn’t like to take the credit for the things that he does in that regard. He obviously does it because he wants to, but he doesn’t want recognition for it or praise for the things that he does in that regard. He’s really been the pillar of our family. He’s been like a brother and a father to me. That was a moment (Hall of Fame election) that was very big for our family.”

“We’re just so proud of him,” Jason’s mom, Georgia, said. “It’s so exciting for him. We were excited when he was playing in the league. We had an opportunity to go see him play and be part of that, but this is the whip cream on top of everything. This is an accomplishment. It’s just incredible. I don’t know if we even can find words to say what we’re feeling. I know there’s going to be tears (during the induction ceremony). From him. Even though he probably won’t admit it, but there’ll be tears. These are tears of joy this time. It’s a celebration of all that he’s done.”

Taylor clearly accomplished a lot during his NFL career, which began 20 years ago when he arrived in South Florida as a skinny, relatively unknown prospect from a lesser-known college football program.

The ultimate recognition for a job well done is right around the corner.