Darren Mougey's 2026 trade haul shows the Jets may be in good hands

Darren Mougey has only been the general manager of the Jets for roughly 14 months, but in that time, he's displayed an incredible level of understanding of the NFL's trade market and has used it to his advantage, to say the least.

Monday morning's Justin Fields trade reinforced what we already knew about Mougey. He's always looking for value whenever he can, and isn't afraid to take swings on the market to bring in a player or draft pick he thinks will improve New York's future.

It started last summer, when Mougey flipped late-round picks for defensive tackles Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs. Both ended up playing key roles on defense in 2025. It continued at the deadline, too, when the Jets' braintrust read the writing on the wall and traded away cornerstones Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams for three first-round picks and a second-round pick.

In 2026, Mougey has picked up right where he left off, turning two players and two Day 3 picks into assets that will surely increase the Jets' floor next season.

Darren Mougey's 2026 trades looking like major steals for the Jets

Mougey kicked off the offseason with the Jermaine Johnson trade, a player who wasn't going to fit in Aaron Glenn's new defense and was due for a new contract after the 2026 season. The former 2022 first-round pick was flipped for nose tackle T'Vondre Sweat, a player the Jets needed for their new 3-4 front, and has two years remaining on his rookie contract.

On the morning of the first day of the legal tampering period, Mougey once again showed off his trade chops, sending the Miami Dolphins a 2026 seventh-round pick for defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick. The former Alabama standout is going to play a key role on defense this season in New York, and signed a team-friendly deal as he walked through the door.

To land the Jets' starting quarterback for 2026, Mougey got ahead of other teams pursuing Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith and sent a 2026 sixth-round pick for the veteran QB's services, funny enough, the same compensation they got for Fields in the 2027 draft.

So far through 2026, Mougey has turned Johnson, Fields, a 2026 sixth-round pick, and a 2027 seventh-round pick into Smith, Fitzpatrick, Sweat, and a 2027 sixth-round pick. Laid out like that, it's hard not to feel like the Jets GM got the better end of all these deals.

Mougey still has a long way to go until he turns the Jets into a winner, but for now, it's hard not to feel like the team is in good hands.