Jets get shaky $13 million contract projection on injury-prone offensive guard

The New York Jets have some work to do this offseason. Justin Fields didn't work out, and Aaron Glenn is on the hot seat. The 2026 season needs to go better for Glenn to keep his job.

To do so, the Jets first need to have a good offseason. While a lot of the attention will be on Breece Hall and what the Jets do at quarterback and in the NFL Draft, a different free agent is worth paying close attention to.

27-year-old offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker got some mixed reviews on his looming free agency. The Jets received two projections for Vera-Tucker, according to ESPN's Rich Cimini.

Jets get shaky contract projections for Alijah Vera-Tucker

"One agent who doesn't represent Vera-Tucker speculated that he could earn $13 million per year on a multiyear contract; another predicted a one-year prove-it deal," Cimini writes.

Those are some vastly different projections for Vera-Tucker this offseason. The 27-year-old offensive guard isn't a lock to earn one or the other.

His standing entering free agency is shaky, as he could land a multiyear deal with a strong AAV based on his prior play. Or, he could land a prove-it deal to dispel the injury-prone label.

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He's missed time the last few seasons for the Jets. Before the 2025 season began, Vera-Tucker tore his left triceps, ending his season before it even began.

That inconsistency is cause for concern, and could make the former first-round offensive lineman out of USC unlikely to land a multiyear deal.

A one-year prove-it deal is more likely for Vera-Tucker thanks to his injury issues, which have seen him miss most of the 2022 and 2023 seasons, and all of 2025 due to injury.

Vera-Tucker's free agency will be one to keep a close eye on, as his market looks to be fairly shaky entering free agency.

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