Jets assistant Keith Carter may not be a popular man in Florham Park.
Offensive tackle Mekhi Becton and running back Breece Hall both engaged with a post ripping the Jets’ offensive line coach/run game coordinator, although neither referenced Carter by name.
Former Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan first mentioned Carter in a post crediting fired Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel, whom he played for.
“Loved him as a coach (except 2018) loved his coaching staff (besides Keith Carter) it was hard work but it was always worth it,” Lewan posted on Instagram.
Becton, a pending free agent, commented on the post before later deleting his remark.
“Second paragraph ain’t nothing BUT FACTS 💯,” Becton posted.
Hall then quote tweeted a post from a Jets fan that highlighted the line from Lewan that praised Vrabel and criticized Carter
“😂😂😂😂😂,” Hall tweeted.
While there’s certainly the possibility that Becton and Hall both were simply engaging with the remarks about Vrabel, it doesn’t take an Aaron Rodgers-level conspiracy theorist to see that the two Jets may not be thrilled with a coach they work with on a daily basis.
Former Falcons fullback Patrick DiMarco, who was coached by Carter in Atlanta, agreed with Lewan by commenting on his post: “Keith Carter was nobody’s favorite coach and I can say that with a lot of confidence.”
Carter joined the Jets for this past season after serving as the Titans’ offensive line coach for the previous five seasons.
The Jets’ offensive line struggled under Carter, and the Jets ranked in the bottom half of the league with 96.9 rushing yards per game.
Robert Saleh said Carter will return to the team in 2024, and praised his work in 2023.
“I think he did a really nice job,” Saleh said Monday. “There’s things, like all of us, that he’s going to have to improve on. First year of a system, to go through that many changes and coach that many young men who had gotten here midseason, I thought he did a really good job.
“Our run game got better and better. Breece and the outside zone scheme really hit its strides over the last few weeks. It’s year one of a system with all the turnover and still being able to improve as the year went on, I thought he did a really nice job.”
Becton might not have to worry about Carter anymore if he departs in free agency, while Hall is locked in as one of the Jets’ star talents.
