Jason Taylor II (born December 30, 1999) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Oklahoma State Cowboys The Oklahoma State Cowboys and Cowgirls are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University, located in Stillwater. The program's mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates at the National ...

Early life

Taylor was born and grew up in

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Oklahoma City (), officially the City of Oklahoma City, and often shortened to OKC, is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Oklahoma, most populous city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The county seat ...

and attended Carl Albert High School. He was named the state Defensive Player of the Year by ''

The Oklahoman ''The Oklahoman'' is the largest daily newspaper in Oklahoma, United States, and is the only regional daily that covers the Oklahoma City metropolitan area, Greater Oklahoma City area. The Alliance for Audited Media (formerly Audit Bureau Circul ...

'' as a senior after intercepting nine passes. Taylor committed to play

at Oklahoma State over offers from Tulsa and SMU.

College career

Taylor played in three games during his true freshman season at Oklahoma State before redshirting the year. He played primarily on

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their position. Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

as a redshirt freshman. Taylor became a starter one game into his redshirt junior season following an injury to first-string safety Tre Sterling. He was named honorable mention All-Big 12 Conference at the end of the season after recording 48 tackles with 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, four passes defended and two interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. Taylor made 99 tackles with six interceptions as a redshirt senior and was named first team All-Big 12 and a second team

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

by the

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit ...

. After the season he announced that he would enter the

2023 NFL draft The 2023 NFL draft was the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. The NFL draft, draft was held outside of Kansas City Union Station, Union Station i ...

Professional career

Los Angeles Rams

Taylor was selected by the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Greater Los Angeles, Greater Los Angeles area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West ...

in the seventh round, 234th overall, of the 2023 NFL Draft. He was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in ...

on September 15, 2023, and later activated on November 25. Taylor was waived by the Rams on August 27, 2024, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was released on September 10.

Arizona Cardinals

On September 17. 2024, Taylor signed with the

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC West, West division. The ...

practice squad. He was released on October 29.

Kansas City Chiefs

On January 9, 2025, Taylor signed a reserve/future contract with the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division. Established in 1959 ...

. On May 1, 2025, Taylor was waived by the Chiefs.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

References

External links

Oklahoma State Cowboys bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor II, Jason 1999 births Living people Players of American football from Oklahoma City American football safeties Oklahoma State Cowboys football players Los Angeles Rams players Arizona Cardinals players Kansas City Chiefs players