Another one bites the dust.
ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter revealed just after the stroke of midnight, the New England Patriots struck a deal with New York Jets offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker.
It is a three-year $42 million deal that has a maximum value of $48 million, per Schefter.
This is the second straight offseason that the Jets have lost a starting offensive lineman to the Patriots. Last year, they lost starting right tackle Morgan Moses on a three-year deal for $24 million in free agency.
Jets Were Set to Lose AVT No Matter What This Offseason
Vera-Tucker, 26, will turn 27 before the start of the 2026 season. He originally entered the league as the No. 14 overall pick in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft.
He has been in the NFL for five seasons. During that period, AVT has started 43 games. However, three of his five seasons in the league have ended prematurely due to injury.
The former USC product has torn his Achilles and both of his triceps.
“The Jets never showed a strong interest in keeping him, mostly because of the injury history,” ESPN’s Rich Cimini revealed on social media.
Apparently, that lack of interest was mutual.
Brian Costello of the New York Post shared some blunt intel on AVT on Monday, March 9, during their free agency stream.
“Yeah, he doesn’t want to be here. So everyone always goes oh the Jets are letting him go. I’ve heard AVT really wants a change of scenery. He feels like he has just had bad luck after bad luck after bad luck with the Jets, and he wants to kind of change his juju a little bit and find a new team,” Costello said via radio host Jake Asman.
Risk It to Get the Biscuit
There were a lot of folks this offseason who speculated that Vera-Tucker would get nothing more than a prove-it deal, considering his injury history.
I’ve had a funny feeling for a while that at least one team and maybe multiple would be willing to dance with AVT on a long-term deal.
The upside is incredible. When he is healthy, Vera-Tucker has been a Pro Bowl and All-Pro type player. He has gotten snaps at four of the five positions on the offensive line during his career so far.
The only problem is that he hasn’t been able to stay healthy. However, on the open market, everyone gets overpaid, so there is a case to be made that swinging big for the fences is the way to go. Heck, New England did that last season, and they ended up in the Super Bowl.
Top Social Media Reactions to AVT Being Patriot Bound
“Sources: The Giants and Alijah Vera-Tucker reached an impasse over the length of the contract. It proved too much to work through, even though there was internal optimism within New York’s building that they could as late as 10:30 pm tonight,” NFL Insider Connor Hughes of SNY posted.
It appears that AVT could be going back to his original position of left guard in New England, per ESPN.
He signed a three-year, $42 million contract. That annual $14 million salary would place him No. 11 among the highest-paid left guards in the NFL, per Over The Cap.
“If AVT went to any other team, I’d be happy for him and root for him. Awful,” ESPN radio host Jake Asman reacted.
Jets Lose Starting OL to Hated Patriots on $42 Million Deal: Report