The NFL's legal tampering period opened up on Monday at 12PM EST and there were deals coming right out of the gates, including a couple with the New England Patriots. One of their moves was stealing fullback Reggie Gilliam away from the Buffalo Bills in a heartbreaking move as Gilliam was an unsung hero for the Bills. Now he stays in the division and will compete against Buffalo.
Late on Monday night, the Patriots would strike again and agree to terms with offensive lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker as he will stay in the AFC East to protect Drake Maye. Adam Schefter reported that Vera-Tucker would get a three-year deal worth $42 million that can be worth up to $48 million. That is a pretty good investment to a player that has missed a great amount of time early on in his career.
Vera-Tucker only saw near-full season action in 2021 and 2024. From 2022-2023, he only played in 12 total games, and he missed all of last season due to a torn triceps injury. So, he only played in two full seasons out of a possible five. Now, the Patriots are hoping that he can stay healthy and protect Drake Maye and that is a massive risk.
Patriots investing into Alijah Vera-Tucker is a huge risk (and Bills fans are all for it)
Vera-Tucker was a top prospect in 2021 coming out of USC, and the Jets even traded up to get him. However, his durability has not been great and now the Pats are hoping that he can not only protect Maye but also allow Will Campbell to stay at left tackle despite his mess of a performance in the Super Bowl against the Seahawks.
With the Bills seeing this big time risky move from the Patriots, you can’t help but wonder how Jim Leonhard is going to attack their offense in 2026 and beyond. If Campbell continues to struggle at left tackle, it’s going to put the Patriots in a very difficult spot to figure out how to best protect Maye.
The Patriots are not just on the rise, they are already ahead of Buffalo but they still have a mountain of work to do in order to improve their roster for the long-term. The Bills defense will look a lot different (hopefully for the better) and they need to do whatever it takes to make New England regret keeping Campbell protecting Maye’s blindside.