Darren Mougey has earned what Aaron Glenn hasn't with the Jets

If the New York Jets fall short of expectations once again in 2026, someone will almost certainly lose their job. And more often than not, it's multiple someones, especially when a new regime does so in each of its first two seasons with an organization.

The vast majority of the time around the NFL, teams' head coaches and general managers are tied at the hip. Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey arrived together, inherited a 5-12 football team, and entered their first season under plenty of pressure to turn things around.

It's safe to say both have fallen short of that goal to this point, at least from a results perspective. But it's also fair to suggest that each individual should be graded and evaluated separately.

Mougey certainly hasn't been perfect. The Justin Fields experiment failed. The Jamien Sherwood contract hasn't aged especially well. The jury is still out on much of the 2025 draft class, particularly after Day 1.

But when you take a step back and evaluate the bigger picture, it's difficult to argue that the Jets haven't become a far more competent and well-run organization under his watch.

If the upcoming 2026 season ends in disappointment again, the blame shouldn't automatically fall on everyone. Mougey has done enough to earn another year, but Glenn still has to prove he deserves one.

Darren Mougey has earned the benefit of the doubt from the Jets brass

Listen, no general manager bats 1.000. Every front office has contracts it wishes it could take back, draft picks that don't pan out, and free-agent signings that fail to live up to expectations.

Judging a general manager solely by his misses ignores the bigger picture, especially during his first year on the job, when many roster evaluations are still influenced by the previous regime. It should come as no surprise that the Jets almost exclusively targeted big-school players during Mougey's first draft.

But the Jets have consistently proven that they have a clear and coherent plan over the last calendar year. They stole Jowon Briggs from Cleveland in one of the team's best trades in recent memory. Harrison Phillips quickly became one of the defense's emotional leaders after arriving in another savvy summer trade.

Mougey extended Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner while maintaining enough financial flexibility to later flip Gardner for an enormous return that included two first-round picks and Adonai Mitchell, who now projects as the Jets' Week 1 WR2.

Even difficult decisions have reflected that same coherent long-term vision. Trading Quinnen Williams wasn't popular, but the Jets extracted far more value than many expected.

This offseason, they raised both the floor and ceiling of the roster by adding veterans like Demario Davis and Minkah Fitzpatrick while investing premium draft capital in players such as David Bailey, Kenyon Sadiq, and Omar Cooper Jr.

Whether every move ultimately works is almost beside the point. The process has been sound. The roster has improved. More importantly, every move appears to fit a larger organizational vision instead of feeling like a collection of disconnected decisions.

Mougey has constructed a roster that, at least on paper, has very few glaring holes. The offensive line looks like one of the franchise's strengths. The skill-position group is the deepest it's been in arguably a decade.

The front seven on defense suddenly has legitimate depth, and the secondary added proven veterans alongside its young core. Quarterback remains the biggest question mark, but it's difficult to find fault with the team's Geno Smith plan. Their alternative options were scarce and unappealing.

On paper, this should be a competitive football team. If the roster falls short, it won't be because Mougey failed to surround the coaching staff with enough talent.

That's why most of the pressure entering 2026 should deservedly fall on the shoulders of Glenn, who will be calling plays this year after the team's defensive coordinator search took a bit of an unexpected turn.

Wink Martindale appeared destined to land the job before talks unexpectedly fell apart, leading the Jets to hire former Lions and Dolphins assistant Brian Duker instead. But that result may have been the best possible outcome, all things considered.

Glenn will be the one calling plays, with Duker serving as somewhat of an understudy. That removes the ambiguity that surrounded the defense last season, when Steve Wilks became an easy target for criticism. If the defense thrives in 2026, Glenn deserves the credit. If it struggles, the responsibility falls on him as well.

The same should apply on offense. Frank Reich now has the task of getting the most out of Geno Smith while maximizing what may be the Jets' most talented collection of offensive skill players since circa 2015.

Camp Countdown: Your guide to every player on the 2026 Jets roster

Ultimately, of course, winning still determines everything in the NFL. Results are king. Winning the offseason doesn't always equate to winning regular-season games.

If Smith proves he's no longer capable of quality starting quarterback play, that's one thing. But if this talented roster underachieves because the coaching staff can't put players in a position to succeed, that shouldn't cost Mougey his job.

The general manager has done his part. Now it's Aaron Glenn's turn.

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