Jets face painful reality with Alijah Vera-Tucker after latest injury news

The New York Jets' new-look offensive line was once thought to be one of the best in the AFC, but injuries are already piling up. On top of left guard John Simpson working through some troubles, right guard and team captain Alijah Vera-Tucker has suffered what could be an incredibly destabilizing injury.

According to both Adam Schefter and Dianna Russini, Vera-Tucker suffered a serious arm injury that could force him to miss a good chunk of time. While the amount of time he will miss remains vague (the Jets currently believe it could be season-ending), this is nothing short of a crushing blow for Vera-Tucker and the Jets' offense as a whole.

Vera-Tucker had been handed the "injury-prone" tag after the 2022 and 2023 seasons, where he played in a combined 12 games after suffering triceps and Achilles injuries. After playing in 15 games last year and performing at a fringe All-Pro level, Vera-Tucker looked ready to lead this new offensive line in 2025.

Not only does this injury deprive the Jets of their starting right guard just days before Week 1 against Aaron Rodgers, T.J. Watt, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it has unfortunately crystallized the fact that Vera-Tucker's constant injury problems have turned him into a player New York can't afford to extend.

The Jets can't extend Alijah Vera-Tucker after his latest injury

In the short term, look for either Joe Tippmann or Josh Myers to move over to the right guard spot until AVT returns (if he does). While they can hold down the fort, this alignment takes much of the star power out of a unit thought to be the strength of a run-first team.

The Jets have both Simpson and Vera-Tucker hitting free agency after this season, and it seems unlikely that Darren Mougey will hand out big contracts to both of his starting guards. While AVT is clearly the superior player (which is a big compliment after Simpson's terrific 2024), the injuries are getting too much to bear.

The Jets will still have three starters in Tippmann, left tackle Olu Fashanu, and right tackle Armand Membou locked in as long-term contributors, and Simpson seems more likely to get paid after this. However, the Jets will need to play for a future without AVT, which is not what a team with so many holes needed to see.

It would be a shame to see Vera-Tucker's Jets career end in an injury-marred 2025 season, but after three major injuries in four years, Mougey simply can't invest premium money into him despite fringe Pro Bowl play.

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