Darren Mougey just made the Minkah Fitzpatrick trade look even better

The New York Jets have been the most active team on the NFL trade market in recent months, as general manager Darren Mougey has been sacrificing late-round picks in the NFL Draft to either get off bad contracts or acquire impact players like safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Just a few days after trading a 2026 seventh-round pick to the Miami Dolphins to acquire Fitzpatrick (who was later signed to a new three-year contract, Mougey offloaded Justin Fields after his lone season in New York went about as bad as it could have possibly gone.

Fields was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for a 2027 sixth-round pick. Mougey's wheeling and dealing has reinvented the Jets' roster, all while he holds onto his treasure trove of premium picks in the 2027 NFL Draft as they try to move forward.

In a sense, Mougey ended up getting more in return for a negative asset in Fields than what he surrendered to acquire perhaps his new best individual defensive player in Minkah Fitzpatrick. His ability to find value in these trades has been a hallmark of his GM tenure.

Darren Mougey keeps making good trades after Justin Fields, Minkah Fitzpatrick deals

The fact that Mougey was able to get anything for Fields, who recorded four games with fewer than 50 net passing yards last season, is a minor miracle. Getting Fitzpatrick just days before that trade is another example of Mougey's willingness to work the phones, playing out for New York.

Mougey has now made 12 trades in just over a year on the job. While these moves led to names like Sauce Gardner and Quinnen Williams being shipped out of town, Fitzpatrick joins an improved Jets roster built more by savvy acquisitions in the trade market than most teams out there.

On defense, Fitzpatrick will join an entire defensive line that was acquired via trade in Jowon Briggs, Harrison Phillips, and T'Vondre Sweat. Minkah may compete for snaps with Jarvis Brownlee Jr., who was also brought in with a trade. Mougey hasn't gone all-in, but he has a few wins around the margins.

Mougey has had to work around an organization that is so toxic that they might have a tough time selling free agents on their ability to build a winner. These trades can help bring in premium talent without having to compete with some of the better teams in the league for their signature.