{"id":791802,"date":"2026-03-04T16:38:21","date_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:38:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/791802\/"},"modified":"2026-03-04T16:38:21","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T16:38:21","slug":"chargers-cut-jets-bust-mekhi-becton-ahead-of-nfl-free-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/791802\/","title":{"rendered":"Chargers cut Jets bust Mekhi Becton ahead of NFL free agency"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Mekhi Becton will be looking for his fourth team in four years.<\/p>\n<p>The Chargers are cutting the former Jets first-round pick, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/48098931\/source-chargers-release-mekhi-becton-cost-cutting-move\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">according to ESPN<\/a>, the latest twist in what has been a whirlwind NFL career for the offensive lineman.<\/p>\n<p>Becton, 26, was entering the second year of a two-year, $20 million contract that guaranteed him just under $7 million.<\/p>\n<p><img style=\"aspect-ratio:1.49926794;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"38670329\" width=\"885\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/GettyImages-2243811634.jpg\" alt=\"Mekhi Becton with the Chargers in October 2025.\" class=\"wp-image-38670329\"  \/>Mekhi Becton with the Chargers in October 2025. Getty Images<\/p>\n<p>The Chargers will carry a $2.5 million dead cap charge in 2026 but save $9.7 million by releasing the 6-foot-7 Louisville product.<\/p>\n<p>Expected to be a franchise tackle for the Jets out of Louisville in 2020, Becton\u2019s tenure with Gang Green was marred by injuries and ineffectiveness.<\/p>\n<p>He left after four years to sign with the Eagles, moved to guard and became a starter on the team that won the Super Bowl 13 months ago.<\/p>\n<p>Becton then joined the Chargers but took a step back in 2025 as the team\u2019s offensive line struggled without injured tackles Rashawn Slater, who missed the whole season with a torn patellar tendon, and Joe Alt, who was limited to six games due to ankle injuries.<\/p>\n<p>For the second time in as many years under Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers went 11-6, finished second in the AFC West and lost in the Wild-Card round.<\/p>\n<p>They project to be among the teams with the most cap space with free agency starting next week as they look to break through with quarterback Justin Herbert, who is 0-3 in playoff games.<\/p>\n<p><img style=\"aspect-ratio:1.24422843;display:block\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-modal-image=\"38670369\" width=\"734\" height=\"590\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/mekhi-becton-77-new-york-72603007.jpg\" alt=\"Mekhi Becton (77) walks off with a trainer during a Jets game in November 2023.\" class=\"wp-image-38670369\"  \/>Mekhi Becton (77) walks off with a trainer during a Jets game in November 2023. Charles Wenzelberg \/ New York Post<\/p>\n<p>The Chargers fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman, who since became a senior offensive assistant  <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/02\/05\/sports\/giants-hiring-greg-roman-for-in-latest-boost-for-john-harbaugh\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">under Harbaugh\u2019s brother John with the Giants<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Mike McDaniel, whom the Dolphins fired after four years as their head coach, <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/03\/sports\/raheem-mostert-calls-out-what-went-wrong-for-dolphins-in-mike-mcdaniel-era\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">replaced Roman<\/a> as the Chargers\u2019 new offensive coordinator.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Mekhi Becton will be looking for his fourth team in four years. The Chargers are cutting the former&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":791803,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2064],"tags":[241,7,1014,262,2444,2443,4388,255,6,89225,2592,9],"class_list":{"0":"post-791802","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-los-angeles-chargers","8":"tag-chargers","9":"tag-football","10":"tag-los-angeles","11":"tag-los-angeles-chargers","12":"tag-losangeles","13":"tag-losangeleschargers","14":"tag-mekhi-becton","15":"tag-new-york-jets","16":"tag-nfl","17":"tag-nfl-free-agency-2026","18":"tag-nfl-free-agency","19":"tag-sports"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116171894034562756","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791802","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=791802"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/791802\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/791803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=791802"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=791802"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=791802"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}