Giants Pushed to Trade for Jets First-Round Talent Amid Contract ‘Dilemma’

The New York Giants have no room for error in 2025, and there’s still a glaring weak spot that could be reinforced via trade.

Although it’s hard to evaluate offensive line play without pads, the Giants’ pass rush consistently abused the NYG offensive line throughout OTAs and minicamp. And while that’s exciting from a defensive standpoint, it’s also very concerning for Russell Wilson and the offense.

Going one step further, right guard is undoubtedly the biggest question mark on the blocking unit.

Greg Van Roten was the starter last year, and he’s back for another season at age 35. Second-year UDFA Jake Kubas is also in the mix for the first-team gig, as is ex-first-rounder and guard convert Evan Neal.

The Giants have veteran guards Aaron Stinnie and Austin Schlottmann on the roster, too, but they’re likely competing for backup roles. Then there’s drafted rookie Marcus Mbow, but Big Blue is choosing to start him out at offensive tackle.

And while that does leave the Giants with several potential options at right guard, it also highlights the fact that a can’t-miss starter might not be on the roster.

That’s where the New York Jets come in. Within a document shared with Heavy, Pro Football Network identified Jets starting right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker as a “trade target” for the Giants.

The former first-round draft pick isn’t openly being shopped, but he needs a new contract, and the Jets have other players to pay like star cornerback Sauce Gardner and No. 1 wide receiver Garrett Wilson. That creates a “dilemma” for first-year general manager Darren Mougey, and the analysts at Pro Football Network believe that could spark a cross-town agreement.

Pro Football Network Explains Giants & Jets Trade Idea for Starting Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker

Pro Football Network detailed their trade idea below:

Poor offensive line play has been a nagging problem for the Giants for a while now. They were bad once again in 2024, finishing 28th in our OL+ metric. While the run game wasn’t awful, the unit ranked 28th in pressure rate allowed (38.4%). Aside from left tackle Andrew Thomas and center John Michael Schmitz Jr., the rest of the offensive line has question marks.

New York added James Hudson in free agency and selected the versatile Marcus Mbow in this year’s draft. However, for a position group that has been plagued by inconsistency and lackluster results, the Giants should not be content with the depth chart as it currently stands.

Guard Alijah Vera-Tucker could be an intriguing addition if the New York Jets, who are currently facing a dilemma, are willing to deal with their neighbors.

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.

Could the Giants Afford to Extend Alijah Vera-Tucker?

If the Giants did trade for Vera-Tucker, they’d have to immediately work out an extension to keep him under contract following the 2025 campaign.

Although the Giants have very little cap space to work with this summer, they do have much more flexibility in the coming years as Daniel Jones’ contract comes off the books — with the expectation that the team will pass the torch to Jaxson Dart and his rookie contract at quarterback after one season of Wilson.

In other words, if general manager Joe Schoen could find a way to make Vera-Tucker’s $15.313 million cap hit fit in 2025, he could likely backload an extension and divvy out said cap hit into future years.

This trade is possible, but only if the Jets are willing to play ball.