Darren Mougey deserves as much blame for state of the Jets as Aaron Glenn

Right now, there's no bigger enemy in the world of the New York Jets than head coach Aaron Glenn, and for good reason. This past Sunday, he dropped to 5-22 as a head coach, and his team all but gave up in the middle of their Week 9 game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Glenn deserves a lot of the blame for how his team is playing, especially on the defensive side of the ball, which he claimed was his "superpower" this past offseason. But no one seems to want to throw general manager Darren Mougey any shade, considering he was there right along with the head coach to build this team out.

Yes, the offense has some real talent. The weaponry is special, the offensive line is young and ascending, and even the move to go out and get Geno Smith was savvy. But when you turn your attention to the defensive decisions, it's hard to defend.

Mougey has hit on some premium draft picks. He's made some good trades, like the Sauce Gardner, Quinnen Williams, and T'Vondre Sweat deals. But everywhere else, Mougey has been about as good as Joe Douglas was for the Jets from 2019 to 2024.

Darren Mougey has done a bad job of building the New York Jets defense

This past offseason, the Jets set out to rebuild their defense through free agency. Yes, they used the No. 2 overall pick on David Bailey, who has easily been the best player on that side of the ball in 2026, but their acquisitions on the pro market have been nothing less than uninspiring.

Joseph Ossai, who received the biggest contract of any Jets free agent this past spring, has played in three games this year and racked up a grand total of nine tackles. The injuries aren't necessarily his fault, but still, it's a bad signing.

New York had a need at linebacker, so they turned to 37-year-old Demario Davis. As great a leader as he is, he has really started to look his age in 2026. Davis is having easily his worst season as a pro.

That's not even getting into Mougey's 2025 trades for Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs, which were great a year ago. But they've both been arguably two of the worst defensive tackles in football so far this season.

Glenn deserves blame for failing to get the most out of these guys, for sure. But the general manager should get his fair share too. It's not like the head coach was picking out all the players by himself.

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