Mekhi Becton
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Los Angeles Chargers offensive lineman Mekhi Becton.
When you start to see your name on enough of certain types of lists, it’s understandable that you might want to start believing all that smoke might mean there’s actually some fire.
In the case of Los Angeles Chargers offensive lineman Mekhi Becton, that might lead to him being a salary cap casualty this offseason after a lackluster 2025.
The 1st instinct for Philadelphia Eagles fans might be to hope that happens so Becton can return to the Eagles, where he resurrected his career in 2024 and was one of the key players up front on a Super Bowl-winning team.
Both Bleacher Report and Fox Sports have put Becton their list of the most likely salary cap casualties this offseason.
“Becton, 26, has played out the full arc of NFL highs and lows — a first-round pick, didn’t work out with Jets, bounces back with Eagles in a championship season, lands a big deal as a free agent, now soon to be cut,” Fox Sports NFL reporter Greg Auman wrote on Wednesday.
“The Los Angeles Chargers’ Mekhi Becton experiment should be over after one abysmal season,” Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay wrote. “While the Philadelphia Eagles received fantastic returns on a nearly risk-free investment into the offensive lineman in 2024, Becton regressed significantly after signing a two-year, $20 million deal with L.A. last year.”
Becton One of NFL’s Worst O-Lineman in 2025
The numbers seem to show Becton completely regressed in his 1st season with the Chargers, who still managed to make the AFC Playoffs despite losing both of their starting offensive tackles to injuries.
According to Pro Football Focus, Becton’s 35.1 overall grade put him 79th out of 81 eligible players at his position.
Becton wrote” My Talents Are Needed Elsewhere!” over a still shot of Joaquin Phoenix in the Academy Award-winning film “Joker” on his Instagram Stories but later deleted the post.
Eagles Brought Becton’s Career Back From Dead
Becton’s career was on life support when he signed a 1-year, $2.75 million contract with the Eagles in March 2024 after 4 seasons with the New York Jets.
After a position switch from tackle to guard and a Super Bowl win, Becton found himself one of the more sought-after guards in NFL free agency.
“After losing free-agent OL Mekhi Becton to the Chargers … the Eagles are now poised to have 2026 compensatory picks in rounds 3, 4, 5 and 6,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on his official X account on March 15. “They also already had the Jets’ 3 in 2026 courtesy of the Haason Reddick trade. They now are expected to have five of the top 100 picks, and 12 overall picks, in the 2026 NFL Draft.”
Becton can hang his hat on one of the great career turnarounds for an offensive lineman in recent memory.
Selected in the first round (No. 11 overall) of the 2020 NFL draft by the Jets in 2020, Becton was a full-time starter as a rookie but only played 1 game over the 2021 and 2022 seasons with knee injuries. He returned in 2023 to play 16 games but was criticized for his play and the Jets declined his fifth-year option — leading him to the Eagles, where he started 15 regular-season games in 2024.