Jets will forego Personal House of Horrors in the upcoming season, which makes Alijah Vera-Tucker happy.

 

Alijah Vera-Tucker was relieved to find that the Jets’ 2024 schedule excludes a trip to Denver for this season.

Rather, MetLife Stadium will host the Broncos. In each of the last two seasons in Denver, Vera-Tucker has sustained injuries that have ended his season.

He has no intention of hurrying back to the Mile High City.

“This month, I would have told Joe [Douglas] that I’m not playing,” Vera-Tucker stated. “I’m happy they’re visiting us this time.”

For the previous three seasons, Vera-Tucker, 24, has been among the Jets’ top offensive linemen.

The issue has been that in the last two seasons, he has only played in 12 games.

His season in 2022 came to an end in Week 8 due to a torn triceps injury.

It was an Achilles tendon tear in Week 5 of the previous season.

After losing Vera-Tucker in both seasons, the Jets offensive line collapsed due to injuries sustained in Denver.

Vera-Tucker was selected by the Jets in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.

As a rookie, he demonstrated his ability as the starting left guard right away.

When the team signed Laken Tomlinson in 2022, he then switched to right guard.

Due to injuries to starters at left and right tackle, the Jets soon used him at both positions, showcasing his complete versatility.

He began the previous season as right guard before switching to right tackle.

Despite Vera-Tucker’s ability to play all over the line, the Jets are concerned that his injuries may have resulted from his leaping around. For this reason, the intention is to assign him a role in 2024 and maintain it.

The day after the season concluded, Jets coach Robert Saleh stated, “We want to get him at one spot.” There are numerous grounds for thinking that some of the wounds are related to I mean, his mobility is kind of his curse, right? His adaptability; nevertheless, it’s unclear if that’s a factor in the two years of injuries he sustained.

“He only played one position his rookie year and was healthy the entire time, so whatever position we end up with—left guard, right guard, right tackle, or left tackle—we want him to stay there and never move, no matter what—in order to give him the best chance to play and be healthy in 2024.”

Which role does Vera-Tucker leave?

According to Vera-Tucker, he is not picky about where he plays.

Vera-Tucker stated, “I was acting in a way that I believed would benefit the team as well as myself.” I was able to demonstrate my versatility by showcasing my ability to play tackle and guard. I’m glad I took action. I wouldn’t make any changes if I could go back in time. I believe that my goal for the upcoming year is to just maintain my health. I only want that.

By May, the Jets will have to choose whether to exercise Vera-Tucker’s fifth-year option.

The Jets will probably pick it up, but the injuries are the only reason to even consider declining it.

Vera-Tucker has been an uncommon ray of sunshine along

At the end of the season, Vera-Tucker seemed upbeat, but he stated the doctors have not told him when he would be ready to play again.