Jets Fan-Favorite Starter in Danger of Losing Job to $2 Million Vet

One observation from a team insider at OTAs could change everything for the New York Jets.

Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic revealed in his observation column that, “There could be a legitimate competition at center between Joe Tippmann and free-agent signee Josh Myers — something general manager Darren Mougey alluded to at the league meeting in March.”

During an appearance on the “Flight Plan” podcast, Rosenblatt provided some more details on this surprising development.

“So when we watch practice, we are not allowed to like report on who goes with first team, second team, and all that stuff, so I can’t get into specifics but I’d say it’s pretty clear to me that there is going to be a competition at center,” Rosenblatt said.

“It’s mildly surprising, I think, to the fan base, especially if you just look at the facts like you said, one guy was a second-round pick and the other guy they signed to a pretty small contract, but there are other factors at play. Josh Myers is more experienced than Tippmann technically. He has played with Justin Fields in college,” Rosenblatt explained.

Some surprising #Jets news coming out of OTAs…@ZackBlatt said, ‘it’s pretty clear to me that there’s going to be a competition at center’ between Joe Tippmann & Josh Myers. 😳

‘It’s mildly surprising I think to the fan base especially if you just look at the facts: one guy… pic.twitter.com/lUkw0dq9JE

— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) May 23, 2025

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Myers Has a Better Shot of Upending Tippmann Than Previously Believed

Tippmann has been the full-time starting center for the last season and a half with the Jets. He has appeared in 33 games, making 31 starts.

This offseason, the Jets signed Myers, the full-time starting center for the Green Bay Packers over the last four years.

That raised some eyebrows, that perhaps something could be on the horizon. Myers has more starting experience (56 games) than Tippmann (31).

However, when people saw it was only a one-year deal for $2 million, that seemed to quiet some of the noise.

Myers signed for backup money. The $2 million annual salary ranks No. 20 among the highest-paid centers in the NFL, per Over The Cap.

“He didn’t have a great year in Green Bay last year [but] I think generally he has been a solid center. I do think the flip side of that is Joe Tippmann has a lot of potential, and he is very intriguing as this big athletic guy, smart kid. At the same time, I don’t think he was as great last year as maybe the perception from the fan base. I think he can be a really solid center, I don’t like see star potential necessarily,” Rosenblatt explained.

Rosenblatt still believes at the end of the day that Tippmann will ultimately start for the Jets at center.

“Maybe this is just a way of pushing him or making Justin Fields more comfortable or whatever it is. I think that is going to be a competition to track in training camp, and I’m curious to see how it plays out, if they split the reps or however they do it,” Rosenblatt added.

Head coach Aaron Glenn’s mantra is to compete. There will be competition at every position, but at certain ones, you think you know who is going to start.

Tippmann seems like a foundational piece for this Jets team on the offensive line. However, it sounds like Myers is going to make him work for it at the very least.