The New York Jets have been very busy this offseason. They have made a number of changes to their coaching staff and roster all in preparation to have Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback. Rodgers has made it known he intends to play for New York this season, but there is still a lot of work to do with the Green Bay Packers on working out a trade.
While all of the focus and headlines have been on that pursuit, the Jets do have other difficult decisions to make. One is what to do with the fifth-year option of left tackle Mekhi Becton. Becton was selected No. 10 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft and many believed that Joe Douglas had locked down his franchise tackle for years to come.
Out of the gate, Becton was living up to the hype. The athleticism that he possessed for a person of his size was truly awe-inspiring. Early on, the production was exactly what the Jets had hoped for.
Becton registered impressive pass-blocking and run-blocking performances as a rookie. He finished with a pass-blocking grade of 76.0 as a rookie and a run-blocking grade of 73.9. Alas, that was the most that we have seen the Louisville product on the field.
Becton has played only 48 snaps in the two following seasons because of a myriad of injuries. The upside is immense, but the inability to stay on the field is a legitimate concern. That is as big of a reason as any as to why PFF believes that the Jets will decline his fifth-year option.
It is hard to argue against that, as declining the option is likely the best decision the Jets could make. You don’t want to give up on someone that showed as much potential as Becton did as a rookie, but at some point, you just have to pull the plug.
It is easy to see why there would be some hesitation on the Jets’ part. His overall grade of 74.6 since 2020 ranks 44th out of 223 players at his position. Despite playing in only 15 games, he has a PFF WAR of 0.08, which is 66th. Both of those numbers are hard to ignore, but the risk is just not worth the reward.
If Becton can stay healthy and perform at a high level in 2023, the Jets can work out a new contract with him during the 2024 offseason. That is a better course of action than guaranteeing a player $13,565,000 who has made one appearance in the last two seasons.
