The New York Jets’ lengthy searches are over, and they’re pairing a first-time general manager with a first-time head coach to try to turn things around.
Denver Broncos assistant general manager Darren Mougey agreed to terms Saturday with the Jets to become their GM, a person familiar with the hiring told The Associated Press.
Mougey, who is a Scottsdale native, played quarterback at Chaparral High School. After playing two seasons at San Diego State as a quarterback and a wide receiver, Mougey signed with the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2009.
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After failing to make the Falcons active roster, Mougey signed with the Arizona Cardinals in 2010. Mougey made one catch for eight yards in preseason action before being released.
The 39-year-old Mougey has worked as Broncos general manager George Paton’s top assistant for the past three seasons. Mougey replaces the fired Joe Douglas in New York and joins new Jets coach Aaron Glenn as the new leaders of the franchise.
The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity Saturday because the team didn’t immediately announce the agreement. NFL reporter Josina Anderson first reported Friday night that the sides had an agreement in place.
Mougey, the NFL’s third-youngest GM behind Cleveland’s Andrew Berry and Chicago’s Ryan Poles, has held several positions in Denver’s front office since joining the team as a scouting intern under John Elway in 2012. Once a backup quarterback behind current Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell at San Diego State and later a wide receiver, Mougey was Denver’s director of player personnel in 2021 before being promoted to assistant GM.
Mougey was part of a front office that helped the Broncos win the Super Bowl for the 2015 season and helped Paton put together a roster that made it back to the playoffs this season under Sean Payton after an eight-year drought. Denver also made one of the most lopsidedly bad trades in recent memory when it acquired quarterback Russell Wilson for several draft picks, and Wilson was out after just two seasons.
Mougey, who beat out 14 other candidates for the job, was hired after a second interview with the Jets. Washington assistant GM Lance Newmark and Cincinnati executive Trey Brown also returned for follow-up interviews with New York, which ended up choosing Mougey to pair with Glenn.
The two will be tasked with trying to revamp a franchise that has the NFL’s longest active playoff drought at 14 seasons.
Mougey will take over a team coming off a disappointing 5-12 season. The major undertakings for him and Glenn will be trying to build a roster that returns the Jets to the playoffs and determining whether the franchise will have quarterback Aaron Rodgers back next season — if he still wants to play — and possibly beyond.
The 41-year-old four-time MVP, who is the fifth player in NFL history to throw 500 touchdown passes in the regular season, has one year of nonguaranteed money left on his contract with the Jets. But he would be due a $35 million option bonus before the regular season begins and count $23.5 million against the salary cap.
If Rodgers is cut or retires, the Jets could absorb a $49 million dead-money charge next year unless they designate him a post-June 1 cut and can spread out that charge over two years.
Mougey also will have to make a decision on wide receiver Davante Adams, who is scheduled to make $35.64 million in each of the next two years. The Jets could ask the 32-year-old receiver to redo his deal or he could be released in the next few months. Adams acknowledged after the season ended that what Rodgers does will “for sure” be a factor in his own decision, saying he “potentially” could be back even if the quarterback isn’t.
New York also has several key players scheduled to be free agents, including linebacker Jamien Sherwood, cornerback D.J. Reed, safety Chuck Clark, tight end Tyler Conklin, right tackle Morgan Moses, edge rusher Haason Reddick and left tackle Tyron Smith.
Also, potential key parts of the Jets’ future, including cornerback Sauce Gardner, wide receiver Garrett Wilson, running back Breece Hall and edge rusher Jermaine Johnson, are all eligible for extensions this offseason.
The hiring of Mougey ends a lengthy search that began in November after owner Woody Johnson hired The 33rd Team, a football media, analytics and consulting group founded by former Jets GM Mike Tannenbaum, to assist the Jets. Tannenbaum and former Dolphins and Vikings GM Rick Spielman helped Johnson identify and vet GM and coach candidates and coordinate interviews.
Spielman likely was able to glean some information on Mougey from Paton, who worked closely with Spielman during stops together in Chicago, Miami and Minnesota.
In addition to Newmark and Brown, Mougey beat out a field of candidates that included Mike Borgonzi, Thomas Dimitroff, Ray Farmer, Brian Gaine, Mike Greenberg, Ryan Grigson, Alec Halaby, Jim Nagy, Louis Riddick, Jon Robinson, Chris Spielman and Jon-Eric Sullivan. Borgonzi has since been hired as the Tennessee Titans’ GM.
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