Eagles’ Becton Calls Jets ‘Little Brothers’ to Giants, Rips ‘S–tty’ MetLife Stadium

Philadelphia Eagles offensive lineman Mekhi Becton is not looking forward to returning to MetLife Stadium where he played the first four years of his NFL career for multiple reasons.

Speaking to reporters leading up to Sunday’s game against the New York Giants, Becton noted that being on the Jets was like being the “little brothers” in the stadium that the two teams share.

“It’s like a whole another side,” Becton said, per Jeff Kerr of CBS Sports. “The way I put it when I was there, we was like the little brothers to them. On their side, they had all their trophies and Super Bowls and on or side…we were the New York Jets.”

On top of that, Becton also ripped MetLife as a “s–ty stadium” after he played there as a member of the Jets from 2020 to ’23.

“It’s bad,” he added. “Everything is just bad about that stadium. I don’t really like it. I’m just glad I only gotta do it one time a year. Just gotta go in there, do my 1-11 and go home.”

Things haven’t necessarily been going great for the Giants in recent years, though they have at least made the playoffs more recently than the Jets. They have also won four Super Bowl titles since 1986, including two in the past 17 years.

The Jets have just one Super Bowl title in franchise history, back in 1968 when Joe Namath guaranteed a victory over the Baltimore Colts. The Jets have won the last three head-to-head matchups between the two teams dating back to 2015, including a 13-10 overtime win last year.

Becton is far from being alone in not liking MetLife Stadium, particularly the playing surface used for football games.

During a 2020 game at the stadium between the San Francisco 49ers and Jets, the Niners lost four players to leg injuries. Nick Bosa suffered a season-ending torn ACL.

Things were so bad for that specific game that the NFL and NFL Players Association looked into the field turf that had been installed during the offseason.

A new FieldTurf core system was installed at MetLife Stadium before the start of last season that some players for both the Jets and Giants praised for being better than the old turf. The acclaim wasn’t universal, with Jets receiver Garrett Wilson calling it “garbage” after suffering a non-contact injury in a Week 6 game against the Eagles.

Even though MetLife Stadium is going to install a grass surface for the 2026 World Cup, Giants owner John Mara said in March that it’s not yet possible to use it for the NFL season.

“I want to get to the point where the experts can tell us that late in the season we can have a safe, playable grass field, and when we get to that point, then maybe we’ll make the switch,” Mara said. “We’re not there yet.”

Mara attempted to explain the number of events at MetLife Stadium—including home games for two NFL teams—makes it difficult to maintain the upkeep needed for standard grass.

There have been at least 14 players who have suffered a lower-body injury during a game at MetLife Stadium from 2020 to ’23, with 12 of them being either a torn ACL or Achilles.

The NFLPA released data in April 2023 showing that injuries occurred 0.013 more times per 100 plays on turf than natural grass in 2022, compared to 2021 when the results were almost even.

NFL data released in February showed “noncontact lower-extremity injuries was nearly the same on synthetic and natural turf” during the 2023 season.

Becton was the No. 11 overall pick by the Jets in the 2020 draft. He appeared in just 31 games over four seasons with the club due to injuries before becoming a free agent last offseason.

The 25-year-old signed with the Eagles as a free agent and has started each of the first five games at right guard.