The New York Jets are entering the season with optimism. They've got a new head coach, Aaron Glenn, and a new quarterback, Justin Fields.
But now they've got a new injury that'll hamper the offense.
Veteran offensive guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, according to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, "has suffered a potentially serious injury and could miss significant time."
Vera-Tucker had just been named a captain for the Jets.
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His absence will be felt in Week 1 on Sunday against a talented Pittsburgh Steelers defense.
It's also an expensive absence. Vera-Tucker has the second-highest cap hit on the Jets for 2025, at $15 million, behind just defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
Alijah Vera-Tucker contract
Alijah Vera-Tucker is in the fifth-year option portion of the rookie contract he got as the No. 14 overall pick in 2021 out of USC.
This is how his base salary has broken down over the course of the deal:
- 2021: $660,000
- 2022: $1,382,047
- 2023: $2,104,093
- 2024: $2,826,140
- 2025: $15,313,000
Vera-Tucker's play this season will determine how much he might get paid on his next deal.
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The Jets have higher paydays coming up when extensions for Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner kick in, but they aren't making those new big salaries this season yet.
So for now, the Jets will be missing their most expensive offensive player, seemingly for an extended period of time.
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