Why trading Mekhi Becton makes absolutely no sense for the NY Jets

The NY Jets appear to have solidified their offensive line this offseason following the addition of Laken Tomlinson in free agency. Tomlinson joins the likes of George Fant, Mekhi Becton, Connor McGovern, and Alijah Vera-Tucker in what should be a much-improved Jets offensive line.

But could one of those players be on the move this offseason?

Somewhat surprisingly, Becton's name has popped up in trade rumors on multiple occasions this offseason. This isn't just reckless speculation either — there's legitimate buzz that Becton could be dealt.

If the Jets fall in love with one of the top offensive linemen in this year's draft, there remains a very real possibility that they could look to move Becton. Would that be wise, however?

In short, no. It makes very little sense to trade Becton right now for numerous reasons.

The NY Jets should not entertain trade offers for Mekhi Becton

The 11th overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Becton was seen as somewhat of a project coming out of Louisville. The belief was that Becton had all the physical tools needed to be a star at the next level, but that he still had some work to do from a technical standpoint.

By and large, Becton proved that narrative wrong in his first year in the league.

The 22-year-old put together an outstanding rookie season that saw him emerge as one of the brightest young stars in the NFL. In a preseason poll of 50 NFL personnel, Becton was ranked as the sixth-best offensive tackle in the entire NFL.

One individual who was polled ranked him as high as second. No one ranked him lower than 12th. It's easy to forget, but that's how highly he was viewed by NFL teams less than 12 months ago.

Of course, a lot has happened since then. Becton battled an foot surgery, reportedly struggled at times in training camp, and suffered a serious knee injury in Week 1 that would keep him sidelined for the entire 2021 season.

Rumors that the Jets were unhappy with Becton's weight and work ethic began to pop up. So much so that going into the 2022 season, the former first-round pick will have to fight for the starting left tackle job with George Fant.

Becton's stock has fallen significantly. For that reason alone, trading him now, when his value is the lowest it's ever been, would make no sense.

There's no chance the Jets would be able to recoup the asset they gave up to draft him — they'd be lucky to get anything more than a second-round pick, if that. Coming off a major knee injury amidst other question marks, trading for Becton would obviously be a risk.

The Jets know Becton's ceiling. They know he has one of the potential to be one of the best offensive linemen in the NFL. They simply want to see him show up healthy and motivated this summer.

Trading Becton now would be cutting your losses before it's even a loss. It just wouldn't make sense.

Yet, the Jets continue to show interest in drafting an offensive lineman in the first round which would create a logjam at the position. They seem to prefer Fant at left tackle as well.

The early warning signs are there that the Jets could seriously consider trading Becton this offseason, before he's even given a chance to prove himself in the summer.

Doing so, however, would be a grave mistake. They'd be giving up far too quickly on a player with All-Pro potential who many viewed as perhaps the best young offensive tackle in football not even 12 months ago.

And they'd do all of that without even receiving equal value. Trading Mekhi Becton simply makes no sense.