Jets OL suffers potentially devastating injury blow before Week 1

Just awful.

Justin Fried

NY Jets offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker / Justin Casterline/GettyImages

The New York Jets' offensive line was expected to be one of the lone bright spots of an otherwise dismal offense in 2025. Unfortunately, those plans were just derailed before Week 1 even arrived.

Dianna Russini of The Athletic is reporting that starting right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker is feared to have suffered a serious injury and could miss significant time.

ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed the report, adding that it's believed to be an arm injury and that Vera-Tucker is seeking a second opinion, but the expectation seems to be that he will require surgery

Vera-Tucker tore his triceps in October of 2022 and suffered a torn Achilles almost a year to the day in 2023. He returned healthy in 2024 and was expected to be a cornerstone of the Jets' offensive line both this season and potentially into the future.

Alijah Vera-Tucker injury is a devastating blow to the Jets' offensive line

Vera-Tucker has battled serious injury issues throughout his career, but after suiting up for 15 of a possible 17 games in 2024, there was optimism that the former USC star had finally put his injury woes behind him.

Vera-Tucker was reportedly one of the standouts from Jets training camp and appeared in line to receive a hefty payday this offseason. That's what makes this injury all the more devastating.

The former first-round pick was entering a contract year and seemed to be on his way to receiving a long-term extension in New York. The Jets named him a team captain for the first time in his career just a few days ago.

Now, not only is Vera-Tucker's short-term future in doubt, but there's a real chance he's already played his final game as a member of the Jets. Just an awful, awful injury to one of the team's locker-room leaders and offensive stalwarts.

The Jets are likely to start free-agent pickup Josh Myers at center, with projected starter Joe Tippmann sliding over to right guard. Left guard John Simpson has also been battling a back injury in camp.

The Jets will await word of a second opinion, but the initial prognosis is not good. Vera-Tucker's season — and Jets career — could be over.

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Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.