When Joe Douglas took over as General Manager of the New York Jets back in 2019, he had a long laundry list of things to fix from the previous regime. But one thing stood out more than all the others: the offensive line.

Joe came into a team that had little to no investment along the front five and it was making it difficult to even gauge the talent on the rest of the team. So, Joe got to work. In his first draft as GM, there was little doubt what position he would focus on in the first round.

With his first selection as GM of the Jets he took Mekhi Becton out of Louisville to anchor the left tackle position for the next decade plus. Or so he thought.

Becton played reasonably well in that first season in New York and only missed two games. Following that, he only played in one game the following two seasons total.

This season, he started out of the gates pretty well, but when everyone thought he would be getting better as he got his feet back under him, he has been declining. While he only missed one game so far this season, the Black Friday matchup against the Miami Dolphins, he hasn’t played up to the standards of a main-stay left tackle at the NFL level.

It is no secret, that the top priority in the 2024 offseason for Joe Douglas will, once again, be the offensive line. As the Jets aim to make a deep playoff run behind 40-year-old Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, they will need to do everything they can to make sure he is well protected.

Becton is headed for unrestricted free agency following his fourth season in New York, as the Jets declined his fifth-year option. Joe Douglas must decide whether Becton should be a part of the team’s future – and how much money the team is willing to pay him to make that happen.

At this point, I would imagine that the parting of ways is all but assured between the Jets and Becton. Becton values himself as an elite left tackle, and the Jets have seen that despite flashes of that ability, the consistency just isn’t there for such an important position.

Becton will want big money this off-season and because of his raw talent, he might get it, but I can’t imagine it will be with the New York Jets. My guess is that Joe will offer him a fair but conservative contract, perhaps a short-term, prove-it type deal with incentives while Becton will want more financial stability.

In the end, Joe will likely say “thanks, but no thanks” and Becton will be on some other team’s injury reports next season.

The one advantage Becton will have in negotiations with the Jets, is the lack of options available to Joe Douglas as he looks to replace not one, but likely two starting tackles. The free agent list for offensive tackles isn’t ripe with talent and the Jets don’t have a second-round pick. 

If Becton and his representatives can convince Joe that he is the only option, then maybe he gets the deal he wants from New York. It is much more likely that these last four games will be Becton’s last for the New York Jets.

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