The news was unofficial on Wednesday and was made official today. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif joins the New York Jets.
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The physical exam the guard underwent with the Jets was to their complete satisfaction. The team has agreed a contract with Duvernay-Tardif for the rest of the season.
As announced Wednesday, he will join the Jets’ practice squad first. It’s standard procedure for the vast majority of veterans who sign a deal during the season to join a team.
We shouldn’t be surprised to see the Montrealer make the regular roster in the short term.
There have been multiple injuries this season to the Jets’ offensive line, including guard Alijah Vera-Tucker. For now, Nate Herbig is the starter on the right. An undrafted player, he was first signed by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019, before being released last May. The Jets claimed him on a waiver.
Last season, Duvernay-Tardif was traded en route from the Kansas City Chiefs to the Jets. He finished the season in New York, appearing in eight games, including seven as a starter.
If the team was in full rebuilding last fall, it finds itself this season at the peak of the run, with a 6-3 record. A playoff berth is a distinct possibility.
Last June, when Duvernay-Tardif announced his intentions to prioritize medicine over his NFL career, he made it clear he would not shut the door on a comeback. Now that a mandatory portion of his medical residency at a Montreal hospital is complete, he’s ready to take on a new opportunity.
He had also let it be known that he wanted to be on a team that had a shot at winning and with the Jets that portrait changed drastically in one year.
At a press conference on Wednesday, manager Robert Saleh complimented him, saying “LDT” had been “a real asset to the team”.
