Getty New York Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton working out during training camp.
Some people are enjoying their fourth of July festivities with fireworks, hanging out with family, or diving into some tasty food from the grill.
However, New York Jets offensive tackle Mekhi Becton decided to pass on the good times for some extra work on the football field.
#Jets OT Mekhi Becton (@BigTicket73) getting that extra work in on #July4th + ready to silence the critics 👀: 🎥 @BigDuke50 on IG #TakeFlight #JetsCamp
Duke Manyweather, Becton’s trainer and offensive line guru, posted the video to his Instagram story.
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Mixed Bag of Reactions
You’d think a viral video of Becton working out while others are likely taking some time off would warrant a positive response from the Jets fan base. Well, you’d think wrong.
@BoyGreen25 @BigTicket73 @BigDuke50 Failure to make his target weight set by the Jets at the mandatory OTA’s still isn’t ready for training camp The Big Duke is doing for Mekhi what Palmer did for Darnold taking his money on false promises of greatness
Head coach Robert Saleh had effusive praise for the physiques of Zach Wilson and Denzel Mims this offseason. Yet when asked about Becton’s frame at mandatory minicamp, he refused to discuss specifics.
@BoyGreen25 @BigTicket73 @BigDuke50 He still looks like he’s 410 lbs
Not sure anyone can tell how much someone weighs based on a three-second video, but different strokes for different folks.
Although Ryan Young had the most appropriate response that is a harsh truth for the 2022 campaign. If Becton succeeds this offensive line could rival some of the best trench play the Jets have had in the last 15 years. However, if he fails, for whatever reason, this line could collapse like a used lawn chair.
That is a lot of pressure on the 23-year-old star talent to deliver when the team needs him most.
Something to Watch
The Jets have kept their left tackle versus right tackle competition very close to the vest.
There is no doubt they likely know which direction they are going, but they haven’t revealed that publicly.
Head coach Robert Saleh says that we should find out the answer to that question pretty quickly once training camp opens at the end of July.
Someone who will be paying very close attention to the results of said decision is Becton. When speaking with the media at mandatory minicamp, the former Lousiville product said he wants to be the blindside protector but would do whatever the team wants.
More Becton going through drills
There is a major future financial component to the decision. Left tackles get paid more money than right tackles.
When you average the top-five highest-paid left tackles in the NFL they earn $21.2 million per season. When you perform that same exercise on the right side, those players average only $18.2 million per year.
To add some more context to those numbers, the highest-paid right tackle in football is Ryan Ramcyzk of the New Orleans Saints. His 19.2 million average salary would be the fourth-highest mark among left tackles.
George Fant is in the middle of a contract negotiation trying to get the most money he can from the Jets. While Becton still has two more years left on his rookie deal and a fifth-year option after that.
This decision on who plays which side of the line could have a massive impact down the line on both of these players’ financial futures.
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Mekhi Becton Holiday Workout Video Creates Jets Social Media Drama