PHILADELPHIA — There was no beating around the bush when Mekhi Becton was asked about MetLife Stadium. The Philadelphia Eagles starting right guard played in that stadium for the first five years of his career with the New York Jets. He doesn’t have many fond memories.
“I don’t wanna play in that shitty stadium,” Becton said Wednesday. “It’s bad. 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.”
Becton had a series of injuries during his time with the Jets, but never on the MetLife Stadium turf — which is vilified around the NFL. His knee injury occurred in North Carolina, but still didn’t have positive things to say regarding the turf at MetLife.
“You can just tell the difference like if you was to get on that turf and (then) go on a different turf,” Becton said. “You can tell. It’s a night and day difference in turf. It just feels lifted. There’s a lot of things that doesn’t feel right about that turf.”
MetLife Stadium actually changed the turf surface during the middle of Becton’s tenure. As Becton put it, it “didn’t make a difference.” The stadium is actually set to put in a grass field for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as New York will host the final.
“I never been told why. I just don’t understand why if you have an outdoor stadium, why not just have grass,” Becton said on why MetLife didn’t switch to grass sooner. “Just for anybody. It just don’t make sense to me.”
Of course the Eagles aren’t playing the Jets this week, but the other franchise in New York has plenty of issues. From the 2-4 start to the Robert Saleh firing and the trade for Davante Adams, all Becton could do was smile when the Jets were brought up.
“No comment. That’s what I’ll say on that,” Becton said. “I’m good and happy over here. No comment.”
Going back to MetLife Stadium is a reunion for both Becton and Saquon Barkley. The latter is getting all the attention this week because the Eagles are playing the New York Giants, but this is an important week for both.
“I know he’s excited,” Becton said of Barkley. “We both know what New York meant to us and we both know how New York did us. I’m just gonna let him be his own little space and I’ll be in my own little space. Towards game day, we gonna both do that.”
There’s some added motivation for Becton to play the Giants too, even though he never played for the franchise. The Jets were second fiddle on their home stadium, which didn’t sit well with him.
“It’s like a whole another side,” Becton said. “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.”
