Jets 'Afterthought' Player Is Someone Justin Fields Can't Live Without

The New York Jets suffered a big loss on Wednesday, and the regular season hasn’t even started yet. Alas, Alijah Vera-Tucker tore his left triceps and is expected to miss the entire 2025 season.

Wow. You have to feel for Vera-Tucker, who is set to hit free agency after the season and will no longer be in the running for a big payday. As talented as AVT is, it’s hard to see an NFL team — the Jets included — paying top dollar for a guy who will have only appeared in 8.4 games per year over his first five seasons.

Sources: #Jets believe G Alijah Vera-Tucker will miss the entire 2025 season with a triceps injury that requires surgery.

Vera-Tucker was just voted a captain and was poised for a big year protecting Justin Fields. A brutal blow for New York. pic.twitter.com/VXcUgSzm6A
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) September 3, 2025

The Jets, of course, don’t have time to wallow in their sorrows about Vera-Tucker. The regular season is upon us, and New York has a juicy matchup on Sunday against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Justin Fields must get used to life without Vera-Tucker immediately (well, within the next 72 hours), because the Steelers’ edge rushers aren’t going to be showing any sympathy.

The Jets’ offensive line just lost a crucial piece, but one player can step up big time to protect Fields.

Can Josh Myers be ‘savior’ for Jets?

New York Jets center Josh Myers | John Jones-Imagn Images

It’s a good thing New York signed Josh Myers in March! The former Green Bay Packers center will now be starting at right guard for Gang Green in an essential role.

The 27-year-old is no slouch. He started for the Packers over the last three seasons and proved durable, appearing in 49 out of 51 games for Green Bay. For some mysterious reason, Myers didn’t attract a strong market in free agency, and the Jets took advantage.

The Jets inked Myers to a one-year deal that could end up looking like a massive bargain, as noted by A to Z Sports’ Kyle Crabbs on Wednesday.

“When Myers signed in New York, his deal featured $2 million in guarantees and an additional $1.5 million in playtime and performance incentives,” Crabbs wrote. “That cheap of a contract, while names like Aaron Banks and Will Fries are pushing $20 million a season on new deals, suggests that Myers was an afterthought. The Jets, even at the cost of Myers maxing out his performance incentives, appear to still have a hell of a bargain on their hands.”

“If Myers plays well in New York, don’t expect him to be playing for such a cheap contract once again in 2026,” Crabbs added. “He’ll need to prove himself the savior of New York’s big plans up front first, though.”

Simply put, Fields and New York’s offense need Myers to perform and stay healthy. He did both things in Green Bay, with the exception of a leg injury during last year’s playoffs.

In the ultimate team sport that is NFL football, Myers will be as crucial to the Jets’ offense as guys like Fields and Garrett Wilson, who get all the headlines. You could even reasonably say that Fields will have a tough time surviving without him.

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