The New York Jets will be without their starting right guard for the entire 2025 season.
Alijah Vera-Tucker tore his triceps, leaving a massive void in the trenches. ESPN’s Rich Cimini expects the team to make a trade to fill the void.
“I think Darren Mougey is going to trade for a guard in the next couple of weeks,” Cimini said on the “Flight Deck” podcast during his crystal ball prediction segment. “They need another guard. I mean, John Simpson, I think, will start on Sunday, the left guard, but he has had kind of a cranky back this offseason. He was in and out, missed some practice time. I don’t think they can stay pat at guard. I think for Sunday, they will start Joe Tippmann at right guard, Simpson at left guard, and Josh Myers at center. That is an experienced trio, so they are not that bad there, but depth concerns. I think Mougey makes a trade for a guard.”
Aggressive!
ESPN’s Rich Cimini predicts that #Jets GM Darren Mougey is ‘going to trade for a guard’ to help replace Alijah Vera-Tucker who was lost for the season. 👀
🎙️ Flight Deck Pod #JetUp
LINK: https://t.co/JaBqczMtRT pic.twitter.com/2Uhtd5FDJG
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) September 5, 2025
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Cimini did not reveal any possible OL trade options for the Jets on the podcast.
Possible OL Trade Target for the Jets to Consider
In the Bleacher Report 2025 NFL Trade Block Big Board, only one offensive lineman appeared on the list.
New York Giants big man Evan Neal.
“He never developed into a reliable starter at tackle. This offseason, the Giants tried moving him to guard, but he couldn’t beat out Greg Van Roten for the job,” Kristopher Knox of B/R revealed.
Neal, 24, entered the league as the No. 7 overall pick in the first round of the 2022 NFL draft. He is entering the final year of his $24.5 million rookie contract in 2025.
“Neal isn’t going to fill any team’s needs for an immediate starter, but he’s a 24-year-old (25 on September 19) project who might provide depth at multiple positions. He could find a market from teams that lack versatile depth and/or a long-term succession plan for an aging veteran.
Given how far Neal’s stock has fallen, he isn’t likely to carry a substantial cost. Expect him to command a bit more than the conditional 2027 seventh-round pick the Atlanta Falcons recently got for tackle Michael Jerrell, though,” Knox added.
There Aren’t Great Options Available in the OL Trade Market
When you bring up Neal as a potential answer on the OL trade market, you start to wonder what the question was.
There is always a short supply of quality offensive linemen, and they’re always in high demand.
On the surface, there doesn’t appear to be a ton of great options available, but there is always a chance to get creative. General manager Darren Mougey has already displayed an ability to do that.
The Jets needed a defensive tackle, and Mougey struck a trade with the Minnesota Vikings for veteran Harrison Phillips ahead of the season. Not many people publicly seemed to even know that Phillips was available.
The Jets gave up a pair of future sixth-round picks for Phillips and a seventh-rounder. A big need at DT was filled via the trade market. Mougey made chicken salad out of chicken, you know what.
Perhaps lightning can strike twice in the same place for Mougey on the trade market, with him being able to find a serviceable offensive lineman.
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