The New York Giants will begin the 2025 NFL season with the same questions that plagued their offensive line in 2024.
Sure, Andrew Thomas is back, and that's a massive win. But the rest of the line remains in flux, with former first-round pick Evan Neal kicking inside to guard (potentially even as a starter), John Michael Scmhitz Jr. back at center, and Jermaine Eluemunor returning to right tackle. Jon Runyan resumes starting guard duties as well, with Greg Van Roten competing with Neal for the final starting gig.
It's not exactly an inspiring group, which is why a trade pitch from Pro Football Sports Network would be an ideal scenario for Big Blue.
In this hypothetical deal, the Giants acquire guard Alijah Vera-Tucker from their cross-town neighbor, the New York Jets.
The Jets have a roster full of talented players nearing the end of their contracts. New general manager Darren Mougey must make tough decisions about which young standouts to extend and which to let go. And among those with trade potential, Vera-Tucker stands out as a viable candidate.
After two injury-shortened seasons, Vera-Tucker finally stayed healthy in 2024 and performed well, allowing a 1.74% pressure rate. Still, he logged fewer than 450 snaps in each of the two previous years, so reliability could be a concern.
The Jets also can’t pay everyone, so they’ll need to decide how valuable Vera-Tucker is because he could command decent trade value.
The beauty in Vera-Tucker is his positional versatility, which would give the Giants a Swiss Army Knife to attack whatever hole they deem largest in their starting lineup.
Indeed, injuries have been an issue during Vera-Tucker's tenure with the Jets, but that shouldn't deter Big Blue if he's on their shortlist of trade candidates. Any chance GM Joe Schoen can get to add a blue-chip O-lineman to his roster, he has to take it.
The Jets exercised their fifth-year option on Vera-Tucker's contract last offseason, making 2025 the final year of his rookie deal. He'll earn $15.3 million this season, and barring the use of the franchise or other restrictive tag at the end of the year, he'll become an unrestricted free agent. The Jets could decide to get something for him now rather than risk him walking for nothing next March.
It's unlikely that asking price would be higher than a second-round pick, or something similar, either. It would take a little creativity by the New York Giants to get a deal done, but if they're serious about fixing their problems upfront, Alijah Vera-Tucker is a very real solution.
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