Joe Tippmann's OTA Absence Leaves Obvious Question for Jets

New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn was quick to tell reporters they had near-perfect attendance at the start of voluntary OTAs last week.

"It's been good. Like I said, we had 100% yesterday," Glenn said on Thursday. "I would say in phase two, we averaged around 95% and phase one at about 90%, so the guys have been in it and it's been really good."

At the start of Thursday's practice, though, there was a notable absence. One that won't be too alarming, but it still opens the door to future conversations.

Starting left guard Joe Tippmann was not at last week's practice. The former second-round pick out of Wisconsin was one of New York's better offensive linemen last season. But as he enters the final year of his rookie contract, it would behoove the organization to get done a long-term extension.

Evaluating Joe Tippmann's future with Jets

This phase of offseason workouts is purely voluntary. There's no inkling of a potential holdout upcoming for Tippmann in a push to get a deal done. His absence isn't anything to be overly concerned with at this time.

However, his long-term future is still something that needs to be decided.

Pro Football Focus graded Tippmann as the 33rd best guard out of 81 players at his position last season, to go with a quality 66.0 grade. He was considered a better pass protector, but his balance as a quality run blocker gives the Jets plenty to like going into 2026.

Is Tippmann better than the top guards in the league, like Landon Dickerson or Tyler Smith? It's hard to make that point. New York hasn't put Tippmann in the kind of position to be great across the league.

But he's clearly worthy of a long-term deal. New York let both John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker walk in free agency this offseason in part because they felt they could get cheaper but more reliable options. Letting Tippmann walk would essentially do the same thing, as it would minimize the offense's potential return.

The Jets must be in the business to keep good players on their team. Tippmann is a good player.

However, there is good news in that regard, though. General manager Darren Mougey has been proactive in dishing out extensions to players on the roster. Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall, and even Sauce Gardner were extended before they needed to be (even if Gardner was traded a few months later).

History points to the Jets eventually getting a deal done with Tippmann.

And while the team would prefer to have its offensive line together as much as possible, one missed practice during OTAs won't be the end of the world.

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