Laurent Duvernay-Tardif hopes to re-sign with Jets

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif wants to return to Gang Green after playing in eight games for them following a mid-season trade from the Chiefs.

“I certainly hope so, to be honest,” he recently told FanSided‘s Mark Carman. “We’ll see how things go, but I for sure set myself up to try to stay with the New York Jets.”

The veteran guard returned to football in 2021 after opting out of the 2020 season to work on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada. When Duvernay-Tardif rejoined the Chiefs, he felt they were looking to play their younger players more. It didn’t help that Duvernay-Tardif also broke his hand in training camp. He wasn’t active once before New York traded for him.

Duvernay-Tardif, 31, had a no-trade clause in his contract, but he waived it to join the Jets. He quickly took the starting right guard job from Greg Van Roten and helped New York rush for a league-high 6.7 yards per carry on the right side of the offensive line.

When the season ended, Duvernay-Tardif wasn’t sure if he could play in 2022 because of a medical licensing issue in Canada, but that was resolved recently. The Jets don’t have any obvious replacements yet for Duvernay-Tardif on the offensive line, so a reunion would make sense.

It would likely come down to cost, but Duvernay-Tardif sounds like he would rather stick with a team, coaching staff and offensive scheme that he likes rather than chase a big contract.

“For me, it’s never really been a number thing. I think it’s been more of a culture thing, a fit with the coaches, with the mentality, with the type of offense,” Duvernay-Tardif said. “I’ve been really pleased with my eight weeks with the New York Jets, so I hope to stay there.”