Now that the 2023 NFL Draft is over, the Jets have a major decision to make as the calendar turns to May.
The deadline for picking up the fifth-year option for left tackle Mekhi Bectonthe Jets’ 2020 first-round pick, is Monday, May 1.
GM Joe Douglas was asked what the team plans to do with Becton’s option and he was non-committal.
“We’re going to announce that next week,” Douglas said in his post-draft news conference Saturday. “The deadline is Monday. We’re going to announce that in the next couple of days.”
Becton’s fifth-year price tag for the 2024 season will be $13,565,000 if the Jets choose to accept it.
The Virginia native has been often injured during his tenure with the Jets. After playing 14 games in his rookie season, he’s played in just one game over the last two seasons, missing 16 of the 17 games in the 2021 season, and the entire 2022 season after injuring his knee in August.
Douglas was also non-committal about Becton’s option during the NFL meetings earlier this year saying, “So, we don’t have to make a decision on the fifth-year option until after the Draft, so we’re not ready to announce anything decision on that.”
For Becton, the former 11th-overall pick has done what he can to get healthy and stay on the field for the Jets. In early March, he posted some photos of his recent body transformation.
However, with Douglas and the Jets’ front office unwilling to commit to a fifth-year option for Becton with just days to spare, it seems they will do what the Giants did with the quarterback. Daniel Jones and have him work for it.