INDIANAPOLIS — Darren Mougey walked up the stairs and took his place at the podium; at 6-foot-5, he towered over the microphone in front of him. Just down the stairs and hidden next to a crowd of reporters, Aaron Glenn watched his new partner speak, nodding his head, smiling the whole time.
When Mougey stepped down and Glenn took his spot (the microphone properly aligned at his face), Mougey stood off to the side and watched him speak.
Listen.
That’s how Glenn started just about every answer over the course of a 10-minute line of questioning, his first press conference since he was introduced as the Jets coach last month.
Listen to Glenn and Mougey speak, and watch them interact, and the vision crystalizes — in that it will be their vision, a collaboration between head coach and general manager. Glenn will have his hands in every aspect of the Jets’ operation, and Mougey will be there right alongside him. Since both were hired, first Glenn and then Mougey, they’ve spent time together meeting with scouts (college and pro) and Glenn’s newly formed coaching staff to come up with an offseason plan, a vision for which players they want to add to the roster, and who among the players already here they want to build around.
Aaron Rodgers met with the new coach and GM a few weeks ago, at which point the pair concluded that it wasn’t in the team’s best interest to keep the quarterback around. Rodgers will be cut, likely with a post-June 1 designation.
“We just felt like the best thing moving forward for the Jets was to go in a different direction at quarterback,” Mougey said.
“Every decision that me and Mougey make is to win and to win now,” Glenn said.
We.
That’s not to say Joe Douglas and Robert Saleh, who Mougey and Glenn replaced, had a poor collaboration, just that this one will clearly be different. Douglas handled personnel and Saleh didn’t have much say in those matters. Glenn will carry a bigger stick.
When the Jets announced the decision to move on from Rodgers a couple weeks ago, star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams tweeted (and then deleted) “another rebuild year for me I guess.” Glenn said he addressed it with Williams, and then added: “This is not going to be the last decision I make that upsets some people. That’s OK. But as men we talk about it and we make sure we keep it in house.”
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The most important decision Glenn and Mougey will make will be at quarterback. There aren’t many options out there that are obvious upgrades over the 41-year-old Rodgers, who had an up-and-down season and often struggled to overcome health issues (or Father Time) but statistically still managed one of the best seasons in team history. Quarterback will be the No. 1 topic of conversation for the Jets this offseason, as it often is — even if Glenn wishes it wasn’t. The Jets coach said it “pisses me off” when everyone wants to just focus on the quarterback position, even if it’s universally accepted that QB is the most important position in football.
“Listen, that’s what you hear but every player on our team is important to us,” Glenn said. “I don’t want to disrespect anybody on our team by just talking about the quarterback. QB is obviously an important position but everybody on our team is important.”
Glenn and Mougey weren’t willing to divulge much on Tuesday, but they did discuss more than just the quarterbacks, even if that was the main topic of conversation.
I took Glenn’s instructions to heart and listened.
Tyrod Taylor and other QB options
Mougey learned a lot from the Broncos’ quarterback search in 2024, when they opted to take on a significant dead-cap hit to move on from a former star (Russell Wilson) and geared up to find their next starter in the NFL Draft from a position (13th overall) that wasn’t viewed as a prime spot to land a top prospect. They stuck to their guns and drafted Bo Nix.
The Jets find themselves in a similar spot, moving on from Rodgers, taking on a dead cap hit, and sitting at No. 7 in a draft that isn’t exactly viewed as quarterback-rich. So what will the Jets do?
“We’re going to exhaust all options,” Mougey said. “Obviously there’s a lot of intriguing prospects here this week at the combine, we’ll dive into that. Some in free agency. We’ll keep all options open at quarterback and every position.”
Mougey was also asked if the Jets feel like they have a good enough roster in place to trade significant assets to move up and get in position to take a top prospect in this class, widely viewed as Miami’s Cam Ward or Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders.
“I think at 7 we’re going to be open to moving up for a player or moving back, all those options are on the table,” Mougey said.
As for what Glenn looks for in rookie quarterbacks as the Jets start their evaluation process in Indy, he wouldn’t divulge much other than to say: “We’re looking for winners.”
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Free agency comes first, starting when the legal tampering window opens on March 10. The Jets will consider those free-agent options, as well as potential trades. They’ve been tied to Steelers quarterback Justin Fields, among others.
There’s also the veteran quarterback on the roster to consider: Tyrod Taylor. Both Mougey and Glenn made it clear that he is a candidate for the starting job, though Glenn wasn’t willing to commit to him as a Week 1 starter.
“We can’t say that,” Glenn said. “We haven’t had free agency, we haven’t had the draft. Listen, Tyrod is a good player, we know that, I think he’s won almost 50 percent of his games. He’s a guy that’s been around this league for a long time. So to answer that, it’s hard because the draft and free agency haven’t come yet.”
The 35-year-old Taylor is highly regarded by many in the Jets building — including players, coaches and the front office — and has started 58 games in his NFL career, though he hasn’t started more than six games in a season since 2017 with the Bills.
“Another player I’m excited he’s on the roster,” Mougey said. “Coming into this team I had been around a lot of players and coaches that had been around Tyrod and had heard a lot of good things about him prior to me getting here. I’ve had the opportunity to talk to Tyrod a few times. I’m really excited that he’s on the team.”
Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner
The Jets have two young stars eligible for contract extensions in Wilson and Gardner — and I’ve been told both would be thrilled at the prospect of signing long-term deals with the team this offseason. (Gardner has said as much on social media.) Mougey and Glenn weren’t ready to commit to any plan on that front other than to say their mutual goal is to keep young talent in-house.
“I’m just excited those guys are on the roster,” Mougey said. “Two young, good players, talented players, I’m excited they’re on the roster.”
Said Glenn: “We’re trying to keep good players on the Jets.”
Davante Adams’ status
It was always obvious that Adams’ status with the Jets was dependent on how they approached Rodgers. Now that it’s known Rodgers won’t be returning, it’s safe to assume Adams won’t be either — especially since getting rid of him will give the Jets significant cap flexibility. They’d clear nearly $30 million in cap space by cutting or trading him.
Adams still has something left in the tank — from Weeks 9-18, he was seventh in the NFL in receiving yards, 10th in receptions and tied for fourth in touchdowns.
“Davante is on the team right now,” Mougey said. “Obviously we have a plan there. In the next few weeks we’ll address that issue. All those private discussions I’ve had with Davante and his representation I’ll keep private for now.”
Wide receiver Allen Lazard is also expected to be released.
Extra points
• Glenn on hiring Steve Wilks as his defensive coordinator: “Steve is a guy I’ve known for a while, great defensive mind, been a head coach, he’s someone I can lean on. He’s going to do a hell of a job for us. Aggressive, sees the game exactly like I see it when it comes to defense. That’s one of the reasons why he’s my defensive coordinator.”
• Glenn on hiring Tanner Engstrand from the Lions as his offensive coordinator: “Very, very smart. Was a huge part of that Detroit Lions offense. I know Ben Johnson got all the credit but there were a number of people around him including (Jets offensive line coach) Steve Heiden. He’s going to do a really good job. He was the passing game coordinator there. It’s time for him to be a coordinator. He’s paid his dues. He’s a hell of a coach, he’s done a good job for us in Detroit and he’s going to do a good job for us here.”
• Mougey on hiring Robbie Paton from the Broncos to a key role in his front office: “Works really hard, good scout, good evaluator. He’s familiar with the processes I’m accustomed to. He’s a great addition and I’m glad we got Robbie on board.”
(Photo: Stacy Revere / Getty Images)
