HEADLINES

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Retires

September 21st, 2023 at 10:55am CST by Sam Robinson

After pausing his football career at multiple junctures, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is stepping away from the gridiron permanently. The former Chiefs and Jets guard announced his retirement (via Instagram) Thursday morning.

Famous for his blocker/doctor duality, Duvernay-Tardif played eight NFL seasons. Although the Chiefs drafted the Canadian guard in the 2014 sixth round, he did not play as a rookie. Duvernay-Tardif, 32, also passed on playing in 2020, becoming the first player to opt out during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the unique O-line presence returned to the game in 2021, finishing his career with two Jets seasons.

The McGill University alum secured a Chiefs extension back in 2017 and played a starting role on their Super Bowl LIV-winning squad two years later. Duvernay-Tardif returned from a fractured fibula during the 2018 season, being activated ahead of the Chiefs’ playoff run that year. But he did not suit up for the team in one of its postseason contests. He was back in his starting right guard role in 2019, starting 14 regular-season games and all three Kansas City playoff contests.

Duvernay-Tardif’s extension — a five-year, $42.4MM accord — came a year after the Chiefs had extended Eric Fisher and signed Mitchell Schwartz. This trio became the team’s O-line foundation for Patrick Mahomes, who made his starter debut in Duvernay-Tardif’s fifth season. Duvernay-Tardif spent more seasons blocking for Alex Smith (three) than Mahomes (two), but the Chiefs’ O-line unraveled at the end of the medical professional’s opt-out campaign. When the Chiefs surveyed the damage from Super Bowl LV, they moved on from Fisher, Schwartz and Duvernay-Tardif — none of whom were available during the Buccaneers’ blowout win — and remade their O-line in 2021.

Cutting Fisher and Schwartz in March 2021, the Chiefs held onto Duvernay-Tardif until training camp. The team, which had signed Joe Thuney and drafted promising guard Trey Smith in Round 6 in 2021, traded Duvernay-Tardif to the Jets midway through camp. The St. Hilaire, Quebec, native started eight games as a Jet, re-signing with the team during the 2022 season as injuries mounted. He played in five Jets games last season, closing out his higher-profile career.

Duvernay-Tardif will likely be best remembered for managing two careers and pausing his more glamourous craft to venture back to Canada during the initial months of the pandemic. Last year, he enrolled in a residency program at a hospital near Montreal. Duvernay-Tardif closes his NFL career with 65 career starts and more than $25MM in earnings.

Jets Rumors: OL, Rodgers, Hennessy, Brownlee, Duvernay-Tardif

May 7th, 2023 at 8:25pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jets landed a gamechanger at quarterback this spring, and now it’s up to them to figure out how to protect him. Head coach Robert Saleh made sure to communicate that the plan is to play the five best linemen, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post, clarifying that the center and tackle spots, specifically, will be open for competition.

The guard spots are presumably safe. Despite a down year for Laken Tomlinson, the Jets signed him to a three-year deal last year to start at guard. After an admirable rookie year as a starter, Alijah Vera-Tucker put together a strong start to his sophomore season last year, even being forced into playing tackle due to injuries before a torn triceps injury of his own sidelined him for the rest of the year. Confirming earlier reports, Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post recently reported that Vera-Tucker is still on track to return from his injury by training camp.

At tackle, Mekhi Becton is also slated to return in time for training camp after missing all but one game of last season due to an avulsion fracture of his right knee. Duane Brown mostly held down the left tackle position while right tackle was mostly handled by Vera-Tucker, Max Mitchell, and George Fant. Fant departed as a free agent, but the team brought in veteran tackle Billy Turner from Denver who can compete for the position, as well.

At center, Connor McGovern has handled starting duties in New York for the last three years, grading out as a top 10 center in the league in each of the past two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The Jets only re-signed McGovern to a one-year contract, though, so it may not be so surprising that his job is open for competition. That point was further dictated by New York drafting one of the top center prospects in the draft, Wisconsin’s Joe Tippmann, in the second round as the first center off the board. Despite McGovern’s recent years of success, Tippmann may represent the future at the position for the Jets.

Here are a few more rumors surrounding Gang Green this offseason:

  • Speaking of the Aaron Rodgers acquisition, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer indicated that Rodgers playing two more years was reportedly a big part of the team’s discussions with him before the trade. That supposed dedication was only reinforced when Rodgers claimed that he would participate in offseason workouts. Many veterans don’t feel the need to attend such workouts, but considering Rodgers is new to the facility, NBC Sports’ Mike Florio’s report that he plans on being present for “more than half” of the remaining offseason workouts is encouraging for Jets fans.
  • New York recently re-signed long snapper Thomas Hennessy to a four-year extension. The new deal, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2, has a value of $5.97MM. The deal has a guaranteed amount of $1.96MM consisting of an $875K signing bonus and Hennessy’s first year base salary of $1.08MM. $670K of his 2024 salary is guaranteed for injury at signing, and the rest of the $1.21MM will become fully guaranteed on the fifth league day of the 2024 season. He’s set for base salaries of $1.26MM in 2025, $1.3MM in 2026, and $1.35MM in 2027, but the contract has a potential out built in after this season that would allow the Jets to cut Hennessy after this year with only $700K of dead cap.
  • The Jets recently included Southern Mississippi wide receiver Jason Brownlee in their group of undrafted free agents. New York was clearly eager to ink Brownlee, giving the rookie a $246K guarantee, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN. That amount is the equivalent of the guarantee given to a low fifth-round pick.
  • With all their offensive line suffering so many injuries last year, the Jets were happy to have the help of veteran Laurent Duvernay-Tardif. Now, with his contract expired, Duvernay-Tardif may have set his sights past football. The medical school graduate has been spinning several plates since the season ended, working shifts in the emergency department of the Jewish General Hospital in Montreal, starting a Masters of Public Health program at Harvard, and promoting a French skin care brand. Still, while Duvernay-Tardif maintains that medicine is still his future, he hasn’t committed to retiring claiming that he’s still in shape “if the phone rings in October.”

Jets To Sign G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

November 17th, 2022 at 1:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a Wednesday workout, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is coming back to New York. The veteran guard took a second NFL hiatus to pursue his medical career, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter) he is signing with the Jets for another go-round.

Duvernay-Tardif, 31, has spent most of his career with the Chiefs. He finished last season with the Jets, following a trade, but left football for a second time this offseason. The former sixth-round pick, who was the first player to exercise his COVID-19 opt-out right in 2020, will return to a Jets team that has seen some offensive line injuries change its plans this season.

An ACL tear shut down Alijah Vera-Tucker for the season. Drafted in the first round to play guard, Vera-Tucker had been working at tackle after the Jets experienced rampant health issues at that position. The player tabbed to take over inside for the second-year blocker, Nate Herbig, is now battling an injury as well. A shin issue sidelined Herbig at the Jets’ Wednesday practice.

This is a practice squad agreement, one that comes weeks after the Jets added Mike Remmers on a P-squad deal. Remmers moved up to Gang Green’s active roster soon. Duvernay-Tardif should be expected to follow suit. The Canadian lineman/doctor has been a regular starter in all but one season of his career.

A 2014 Chiefs draftee, Duvernay-Tardif broke into Kansas City’s starting lineup in his second season. The Chiefs later extended him, and Patrick Mahomes‘ initial O-lines featured the multitalented blocker at right guard. LDT has made 64 career starts.

Duvernay-Tardif started throughout the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV-winning season, but after his 2020 opt-out — aimed at helping fight the coronavirus in his native Canada — the team changed plans. Trey Smith, a sixth-rounder last year, took over that spot after the Chiefs filled their left guard role — with high-priced free agent Joe Thuney — earlier in 2021. The Chiefs traded Duvernay-Tardif to the Jets before last year’s deadline. He started seven of the eight games he played with the Jets last season.

After being dealt to a rebuilding Jets team last year, Duvernay-Tardif may be called upon to help a playoff contender. The 6-3 Jets, who are riding the NFL’s longest playoff drought (11 years), have Dan Feeney as a backup interior option behind Herbig and Laken Tomlinson. Duvernay-Tardif will now factor into this mix.

Jets To Work Out G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

November 16th, 2022 at 10:37am CST by Sam Robinson

Despite being a sixth-round pick, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif has been a starter for nearly his entire career. The former Chiefs draftee has traversed one of the more unusual career arcs in recent memory, twice taking hiatuses to pursue his medical career north of the border.

The Canadian lineman, however, appears ready to resume his football career. The Jets are interested in a reunion, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com noting (via Twitter) Duvernay-Tardif is working out for the team Wednesday.

Duvernay-Tardif, 31, started in seven of the eight games he played as a Jet last season, moving into Gang Green’s lineup shortly after being acquired at the 2021 trade deadline. Extended breaks from the game sandwiched that Jets stay. Duvernay-Tardif was the first player to opt out of the 2020 season, returning to his native country to help during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. After his Jets stay wrapped in Week 18 of last season, the Quebec native said he was returning to the medical world.

“I’m going to prioritize medicine … and we’ll see in September if there’s a fit,” the 31-year-old said in June. “After eight years in the NFL, and I don’t want to sound pretentious by saying this, but I think I’ve earned the right to do what’s best for me and not just for football and kind of bet on myself a little bit.”

LDT also battled back from a broken hand last season. That, along with 2021 sixth-round rookie Trey Smith‘s move into Kansas City’s starting lineup, led to the veteran blocker being traded to the Jets. The Chiefs used Duvernay-Tardif as a regular starter from 2014-19. He started in each of Kansas City’s three playoff games during the team’s Super Bowl LIV-winning run, playing on an extension he signed back in 2017.

The Jets have been playing without Alijah Vera-Tucker for a few weeks now. The guard-turned-tackle is out for the season after suffering an ACL tear. New York added Laken Tomlinson from San Francisco in free agency and has used offseason acquisition Nate Herbig as its starter opposite Tomlinson. Robert Saleh said that Herbig will be held out of the Jets’ Wednesday practice, injecting some doubt about the guard’s availability for Week 11. Dan Feeney and Mike Remmers are currently the only backup O-linemen on the Jets’ active roster. That could change soon, with Max Mitchell being designated for return from IR and George Fant not ruled out for the season.

Both Fant and Mitchell are tackles. Duvernay-Tardif could supply some help on the interior. It will be interesting to see if he pivots from medicine back to football again.

Latest On FA OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

July 16th, 2022 at 3:14pm CST by Adam La Rose

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif remains a free agent in the NFL, but an important transaction recently took place north of the border which could affect his future. The CFL’s Montreal Alouettes – his hometown team – acquired his rights in that league, per a club announcement. 

“We are happy to have proceeded with this transaction,” general manager Danny Maciocia said after the Alouettes traded for Duvernay-Tardif’s rights. “Laurent is a football icon in Montreal and Quebec.”

Last month, the 31-year-old made it clear that he would once again shift his focus to medicine this summer, something he did when he opted out of the 2020 campaign to attend to COVID-19 patients. He returned to the Chiefs last season, with whom he made consecutive Super Bowl appearances the two prior seasons he played in. As a pending free agent who had been supplanted as a starter at the right guard spot, though, he was traded to the Jets midseason.

“I’m going to prioritize medicine… and we’ll see in September if there’s a fit,” the former sixth-rounder said when explaining his decision, which did not constitute a retirement announcement. He added, “I’m really comfortable with the risk, and I’m pretty confident there’s going to be an offer on the table in September if I want it. And if I want it I’ll take it.”

A return to New York is unlikely for Duvernay-Tardif, as the Jets added Laken Tomlinson in free agency to pair with Alijah Vera-Tucker as the team’s starting guards. While his NFL suitors could be few and far between at this point in free agency, he would be welcomed back home in the CFL.

“We wish him the best success with his football career moving forward, and are satisfied knowing that if he does play in Canada, he will do so in a city and a stadium that he knows very well,” Maciocia added. “He would also finally be able to wear the letters M.D. on the back of his jersey like he has been wanting to do.”

If Duvernay-Tardif were to wait until September to make a decision, and no satisfactory NFL offers arrive, he could join the Alouettes midway through the CFL campaign, which runs until mid-November.

Latest On Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

June 9th, 2022 at 10:10am CST by Adam La Rose

Free agent guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is once again temporarily putting his NFL career on hold to focus on his other profession. The Canadian offensive lineman is set to enroll in a residency program at a hospital near Montreal this summer and will wait until the onset of the 2022 campaign to decide on his NFL future. 

“I’m going to prioritize medicine… and we’ll see in September if there’s a fit,” the 31-year-old said, via ESPN.com. “After eight years in the NFL, and I don’t want to sound pretentious by saying this, but I think I’ve earned the right to do what’s best for me and not just for football and kind of bet on myself a little bit.”

In 2020, Duvernay-Tardif became the first player in the league to opt out of the season, choosing to devote his time to a local long-term care facility. The decision came after the Chiefs’ second consecutive Super Bowl appearance, and tolled his contract to the point where it expired at the conclusion of the 2021 season.

Upon his return, the former sixth-rounder found that his right guard spot was occupied by Trey Smith, one part of Kansas City’s efforts to completely rebuild its offensive front. Sidelined by a broken bone in his hand, he never played again for the Chiefs. Instead, he waived his no-trade clause and was dealt to the Jets in November. He started seven of eight games in New York.

Now a free agent for the first time, given the expiration of the five-year extension he signed in 2017, Duvernay-Tardif (who received his medical doctorate one year later) faces the possibility of being on the move again, should he return to the NFL. The Jets added Laken Tomlinson in free agency, who is in line to pair with 2021 first-rounder Alijah Vera-Tucker at the guard spots. Despite the uncertainty regarding his future, he is making it clear this latest decision is not a retirement.

“I’m really comfortable with the risk, and I’m pretty confident there’s going to be an offer on the table in September if I want it,” he said. “And if I want it I’ll take it. If medicine is going well and I feel like I’ve got to be out there in front of 80,000 people to play the sport I love, well, I’ll go, but I think I want it to be more on my terms.”

NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 12/30/21

December 30th, 2021 at 3:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Thursday’s reserve/COVID-19 list updates:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

  • Activated from virus list: OL Cody Ford, CB Cam Lewis
  • Activated from practice squad virus list: TE Quintin Morris

Carolina Panthers

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

  • Placed on practice squad virus list: LB Omari Cobb

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Football Team

NFL COVID List Updates: 12/23/21

December 23rd, 2021 at 6:46pm CST by Ben Levine

We’ve compiled a list of players who were placed or activated from the reserve/COVID-19 list today. In some instances, players activated from the list remain on IR:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Football Team

Chiefs Trade Laurent Duvernay-Tardif To Jets

November 2nd, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have agreed to trade guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the Jets, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). In exchange, the Jets will send tight end Daniel Brown to Kansas City. 

It appears that Duvernay-Tardif personally signed off on the trade, since he’s one of ~10 NFL players to have a no-trade clause. The Chiefs received — and rebuffed — calls on LDT throughout the summer, but they’ve took Gang Green up on their pre-deadline offer.

LDT was a full-time starter for the Chiefs from 2015-19, but opted out of the 2020 campaign in order to treat COVID-19 patients. The licensed medical professional has yet to play this year, due to a broken bone in his hand.

This is just the latest move in the Chiefs’ offensive line revamp. After the Bucs clobbered KC’s front five in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs swung a blockbuster deal for tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and used a second-round choice to take center Creed Humphrey. LDT was set to be a part of that lineup, but his hand injury pushed sixth-round pick Trey Smith into a first-string role instead. Although he hasn’t played since the ’19 season, LDT offers serious experience with 60 games, including 57 starts.

Brown, 29, first entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of James Madison. After stints with the Ravens and Bears, he joined up with the Jets in 2019. He’s appeared in just six games for the Jets, with the bulk of that action coming in ’19. Known more for his blocking, Brown has just 44 catches for 420 yards and two touchdowns across six-and-a-half seasons.

Chiefs Have Talked Trades For OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif

August 30th, 2021 at 4:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif could be on the trade block. The Chiefs have received calls on the offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, reports Albert Breer of MMQB. Complicating a trade is the fact that Duvernay-Tardif has a no-trade clause, making it “more likely” that he’ll remain on Kansas City’s roster.

Although he was a full-time starter for the Chiefs from 2015-19, Duvernay-Tardif wasn’t guaranteed his old job back as the Chiefs focused on revamping their offensive line this past offseason. While the lineman started 14 games for Kansas City in 2019, he sat out the 2020 campaign as he helped fight COVID-19. The 30-year-old also suffered a broken bone in his hand earlier this month, and his recovery was going to cut it close for the start of the season.

After watching Patrick Mahomes run for his life in the Super Bowl against the Bucs’ ferocious pass-rush, the Chiefs made it a priority to overhaul their O-line. They traded for tackle Orlando Brown Jr., drafted center Creed Humphrey in the second-round, and signed veteran guards Austin Blythe and Kyle Long. Duvernay-Tardif was battling with sixth-round pick Trey Smith for the starting right guard gig, a job that the rookie likely secured following the veteran’s hand injury.

Still, considering Duvernay-Tardif’s starting experience, it’s not a surprise that teams would have interest in him. The former sixth-round pick has started 57 of his 60 games since entering the NFL in 2014.

Load More Posts