The New York Jets have handled injuries and bad play on the offensive line for several years. But a huge early decision for new general manager Darren Mougey is what to do with Alijah Vera-Tucker, a 2021 first-round pick who's been the most reliable part of the puzzle.

Vera-Tucker is an investment from Joe Douglas, so Mougey could be inclined not to make a huge commitment. But AVT is still young—he will be 26 by the start of next season—, and was able to stay healthy last season after two years handling big injuries.

"We have a good foundation of players here right now that we are going to continue to add to," Mougey said. "We are going to give those players everything they need to be successful and reach their potential."

Contract situation and guard market

Drafted in 2021, Vera-Tucker will play in 2025 under the fifth-year option that the Jets exercised last offseason. He is slated to make $15.313 million, which is fully guaranteed and will hit the cap entirely in 2025.

And the guard market seems to be a team-friendly place. The highest-paid guard in football is Philadelphia Eagles' Landon Dickerson, with a $21 million yearly salary. Only Dickerson, Atlanta Falcons' Chris Lindstrom, Carolina Panthers' Robert Hunt, and Indianapolis Colts' Quenton Nelson make $20 million or more per season at the position.

If the Jets are able to negotiate a fair deal with Alijah Vera-Tucker, considering his injury history, the deal could be around $16 million and $19 million per year. Even better, it's possible to structure the contract in a favorable way for the team, backloading it to create some cap space in 2025, while the team handles dead money from Aaron Rodgers and, possibly, Davante Adams.

However, if the Jets wait another year, they might be forced to overpay or to apply a franchise tag on Vera-Tucker.

Performance

The offensive lineman has been solid throughout his entire career, which is particularly impressive under tough circumstances of coaching, questionable offensive system, and some bad players around him.

AVT has played the most snaps as a right guard, where he spent the entire 2024 season. But he played at left guard as a rookie, and has snaps at left tackle and right tackle throughout his career. Center is the only OL position where he's never played in the NFL.

That versatility brings a lot of value for what the Jets want to build. And this is particularly relevant because he was consistent in every position. In run blocking, AVT has never had a season with a PFF grade lower than 72—and the grade was 82.7 in reduced snaps in 2023.

Last season, Vera-Tucker had his best pass blocking season, allowing only 16 pressures the entire year. And historically it's hard to block for a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers, who tends to hold the ball too long to find an open receiver—especially now that Rodgers is older and not as mobile.

AVT is a great building block. He might not be perfect and had some tough times throughout his rookie contract. But in the end, the Jets have all the reasons to secure him for the long term while it's still financially responsible.

Jets have two easy decisions with their 2022 draft class, but the third one is much harder for the new leaders to make

It’s time for some tough choices