Center Jason Emery Re-Signed for 2026

By Alistair Kirsch-Poole
Nov 15, 2025 - 3:00pm

Old Glory will once again have the services of Jason Emery in the back line. The 32-year-old New Zealander came in last season to provide high-level experience to the centers, but ended up playing most of his matches at flyhalf due to injuries.

He made his professional debut in 2012 at the age of 18 for Manawatu in New Zealand's National Provincial Championship. A just few months after his debut he was picked up by the Highlanders in Super Rugby, where he would play for the next for years. In 2018, he was picked up by the Sunwolves, the Japanese franchise in Super Rugby, where he played for a further two seasons. While in the offseason, he played for the Munakata Sanix Blues in the Japanese Top League.

He made his move to MLR in 2022, when he joined Rugby United New York. He was a core part of the team that would go on to lift the shield that year, playing 1,201 total minutes and only missing one start. He stayed with New York in 2023, again playing a large number of minutes but this time being asked to step in at flyhalf for the second half of the season. With the collapse of the New York franchise in 2023, he jumped to RFC Los Angeles for the 2024 season.

In 2025 he was signed by DC to provide some versatility and experience in teh backs. He started out as the first-choice option at inside center, but when Jason Robertson went down with injury he took up the flyhalf mantle. 10 of his 16 appearances end up being in the 10 jersey.

This coming season, it's expected that he will return to the inside center position. While no other centers have bene confirmed, its reasonable to expect that he will be the first choice at that position. He is also more unlikely this season to be pulled into the flyhalf position, as the team has picked up Max Schumacher, a young American who is expected to play flyhalf in the long term.