Armand Membou, Jets Agree to 4-Year, $31.9M Rookie Contract After 2025 NFL Draft

The New York Jets continued building the trenches by selecting offensive tackle Armand Membou with the seventh pick in the 2025 NFL draft, and he secured his deal on Thursday.

The Jets signed Membou to a four-year, $31.9 million rookie contract, per ESPN's Rich Cimini. He's expected to compete for the starting right tackle job in his first year.

The former Missouri star is the second straight offensive tackle drafted in the first round for New York, joining 2024 No. 11 pick Olumuyiwa Fashanu. The team also selected center Joe Tippman in the second round in 2023 and guard Alijah Vera-Tucker in the first round in 2021, giving it one of the youngest offensive line groups in the league. Guard John Simpson, who was signed as a free agent last offseason, is the oldest member of the line at 28 years old.

Adding in the selection of the now-departed Mekhi Becton in 2020, the Jets are the first team since the Seattle Seahawks in 2001 to select four offensive linemen in a six-draft span.

After drafting Membou, New York first-year head coach Aaron Glenn made it clear that his philosophy in team building starts with the trenches.

"I come from two teams ... where everything was about the offensive line," Glenn said. "I'm a firm believer that you start it inside out. So if we can build our line, just as much as our defensive line, that only helps you as a team. It helps your quarterback, it helps your running backs, it helps your passing game, and it just creates an identity within your team. You're trying to make sure that every team, when they watch film, they see that."

Membou will be tasked with protecting new Jets quarterback Justin Fields, who is replacing veteran Aaron Rodgers. He will also be paving the way for a talented group of running backs, led by Breece Hall.

Jets fans should be confident that Membou and Fashanu will be the team's bookends on the offensive line for years to come.