The New England Patriots entered Monday with a massive hole along their interior offensive line, and it seems like they have found a player to fill it.
Alijah Vera-Tucker was signed to a three-year,$42 million contract with a maximum value of $48 million, according to a report by Adam Schefter of ESPN. The assumption is that the 26-year-old will slide into the left guard position.
A first-round draft pick out of USC in 2021, Vera-Tucker spent the first five seasons of his career with the Jets. While
he did start for the team right out of the gate and was voted to the PFWA All-Rookie team, he failed to keep his early momentum.
In Year 2, the team moved Vera-Tucker from the left to the right guard position and also out to right tackle before a triceps injury ended his season. The following year, he suffered a torn Achilles. Vera-Tucker did return in 2024 to start 15 games, but his bad injury luck again caught up to him the next year: he missed all of 2025 after tearing a triceps in practice leading up to Week 1.
In total, Vera-Tucker has therefore appeared in only 43 of 85 possible games since getting drafted. Nonetheless, the Patriots made him one of three signings on the first day of free agency.
They previously signed defensive edge Dre’Mont Jones and fullback Reggie Gilliam, both to three-year deals as well.
