Former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif could return to the National Football League this year.
A familiar face (and fan favorite of many in Chiefs Kingdom) could be returning to the National Football in the second half of the ’22 regular season with the news that offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is working out for the New York Jets.
According to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport, Duvernay-Tardif is hoping for a spot on the team’s practice squad. From there, he would be in line to potentially make a leap to the active roster and help the Jets down the stretch along the offensive interior.
Duvernay-Tardif was traded to the Jets last season at the NFL’s trade deadline by the Kansas City Chiefs in an effort to give him an opportunity to play given the Chiefs’ crowded offensive line. In return, the Chiefs got a bit of cap space and tight end Daniel Brown, but the Chiefs promptly released Brown and he returned back to New York.
The Chiefs drafted Duvernay Tardif back in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft along with Zach Fulton. The pair of back-to-back offensive line picks went on to become a reliable tandem of young prospects for the Chiefs up front. By 2015, LDT had taken over the right guard position for the Chiefs, and John Dorsey, who was then the general manager, rewarded him with a nice contract extension that kept him in place through 2021—until he was traded. LDT did sit out the 2020 season due to COVID-19.
Of course, Duvernay-Tardif is also known as the only medical doctor who is also a professional football player and his time and energies have been split between both worlds since he was first drafted into the league out of McGill in Montreal, Quebec. He even paused his professional career this summer in order to pursue his residency.
Duvernay-Tardif, who is 31, has 64 starts in his NFL career and another 6 postseason starts—all with the Chiefs.