john simpson is part of a looming offseason inflection point for the New York Jets, who are preparing for the possibility they will need a new left guard while both John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker are set to test the free agent waters.
What Happens When John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker both reach the market?
The Jets are “likely preparing” for the chance they will have to fill a left guard vacancy this offseason. The situation is sharpened by the reality that, while four of five offensive line starter spots are described as set—Olu Fashanu, Armand Membou, Josh Myers, and Joe Tippmann—the remaining question is who lines up at left guard between Fashanu and Myers.
The risk for New York is not limited to one player. With John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker both headed toward free agency, the Jets may be unable to retain either former starter and could be forced into the replacement market. Another layer of urgency has emerged in the discussion around Vera-Tucker’s durability; he has suffered three major injuries in the last four seasons. In the same conversation, John Simpson is described as having “underwent a regression, ” raising the possibility that the team’s internal solution at guard may not be straightforward even if a deal were possible.
What If Zion Johnson becomes the Jets’ Plan B at left guard?
As the Jets evaluate contingencies, the name that has surfaced is Los Angeles Chargers guard Zion Johnson. Jets insiders Connor Hughes and Zack Rosenblatt discussed names they have heard ahead of free agency and mentioned Zion Johnson as a potential replacement at left guard. The framing is explicitly conditional: Johnson is positioned as a fallback option if the Jets get outbid for Alijah Vera-Tucker.
Johnson’s profile in these discussions is complex. Rosenblatt described Johnson as a “flawed” player, yet also suggested that, given the current climate in the guard market, Johnson could land a contract worth up to $20 million in average annual value. A second market signal points to a more modest expectation: Spotrac projects Johnson to sign a three-year, $33. 8 million deal. Another valuation view came from Daniel Popper, who suggested Johnson’s value could rise as high as $20 million per season due to a lack of quality offensive line options on the market and an uptick in extension value for in-demand linemen.
On performance and availability, Johnson is characterized as a capable starter with durability on his side. Over his four-year career, he has missed only two games. Pro Football Focus figures cited in the discussion note that he gave up three sacks and committed four penalties in 2025, with rankings of 48th and 45th among guards in those categories. At the same time, he is described as a “serviceable, completely average guard” as both a run blocker and pass blocker, and as a former first-round pick (No. 17 overall) who has not lived up to the hype.
What If the guard market forces hard choices for the Jets and Chargers?
The tug-of-war here is as much about market mechanics as it is about any single player. The Jets’ interest in Zion Johnson is framed against a landscape where credible observers see upward pressure on interior offensive line prices—especially if there is a lack of quality options available. That creates a squeeze: if New York cannot keep John Simpson or Alijah Vera-Tucker, and if Johnson’s price rises toward the high end of the market, the Jets could be pushed into paying a premium for a player still described as flawed or average.
For the Chargers, the backdrop is an organizational push to reshape the interior offensive line. The signing of free agent center Tyler Biadasz is presented as evidence that Joe Hortiz is serious about remaking that unit, which in turn is positioned as “bad news” for Zion Johnson’s return to Los Angeles. There is also a cap-allocation tension implied by existing tackle investments: the Chargers have Joe Alt and Rashawn Slater, with the note that one will be paid big money and the other already has, potentially limiting the team’s willingness to add a third big-money deal.
| Decision Point | Jets Outlook (from the current discussion) | Chargers Outlook (from the current discussion) |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping in-house guards | Both John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker are set to test free agency; Jets may not retain either | Zion Johnson is likely not to return; team is reshaping the interior line |
| Pivot option | Zion Johnson discussed as a potential left guard replacement / Plan B scenario | Potential departure increases churn; team can land replacements |
| Market pricing | Guard market climate could elevate deals; Jets risk paying a premium | Johnson’s value debated; $20M/year ceiling discussed amid limited options |
In practical terms, New York’s guard plan is being shaped by three competing realities contained in the current picture: John Simpson and Alijah Vera-Tucker reaching free agency at the same time, credible chatter tying the Jets to Zion Johnson as an alternative, and uncertainty over how expensive the market becomes for guards viewed as starters but not necessarily elite difference-makers.
What happens next hinges on whether the Jets can keep either of their current starters and, if not, whether they are willing to meet a price for an external option that may be inflated by positional scarcity.
