Mekhi Becton can't stop taking cheap shots at the NY Jets
By Justin Fried
There's clearly no love lost between Mekhi Becton and the NY Jets, both when it comes to his former team specifically or the stadium they play their home games. Becton has made that abundantly obvious since leaving New York.
Now a starting right guard for the Philadelphia Eagles, Becton is preparing for his first trip back to MetLife Stadium since leaving the Jets this past offseason. And to say he's not looking forward to it would be an understatement.
Becton had some harsh words for the MetLife turf when speaking to reporters on Thursday. The former first-round pick was blunt in his assessment, remaking that he "doesn't want to play in that s—tty stadium."
Becton has bad memories of playing at MetLife Stadium, dating back to the knee injury he suffered in the Jets' 2021 season opener — an injury that would ultimately send his career into a tailspin.
"It's bad. Everything is just bad about that stadium. I don't really like it. I'm just glad I only gotta do it one time a year. Just gotta go in there, do my 1-11 and go home."
- Mekhi Becton
Mekhi Becton took another umprompted shot at the NY Jets
Becton didn't just leave it at that, however. The former Louisville standout made sure to take a dig at his former team as well, even though he wasn't prompted to.
When asked about his team's upcoming game against the New York Giants this weekend, Becton noted that there was extra motivation for him. In doing so, he decided to bury his former team in the process.
"It's like a whole other side. The way I put it when I was there, we were like the little brothers to them. On their side, they had all their trophies and Super Bowls and on our side — we were the New York Jets."
- Mekhi Becton
Becton referred to the Jets as the "little brothers" of the Giants, implying that this was his mindset when he was at Florham Park. The Giants had "all their trophies" and the Jets were, well, just "the Jets."
This is far from the first time that Becton has spoken poorly of his former team in the months following his departure. He's been very critical of his former coaching staff, even taking an unprompted shot at Robert Saleh after his firing last week.
Becton has found new life with the Eagles this season, making the switch to guard and earning a starting job in the summer. His 68.9 Pro Football Focus grade through six weeks is on track to be the best since his rookie season.
The Jets have had their own offensive line struggles in recent weeks, including Becton's replacement at left tackle, Tyron Smith, who has allowed the second-most sacks among all offensive tackles in 2024.
Regardless, both sides are likely very happy to have moved on at this point. The Jets are happy with their replacements and Becton is clearly happy with his new team — so happy, in fact, that he can't stop talking about his former employer.