Darren Mougey teases exciting free agency plans at NFL Combine

The New York Jets have one of the most pivotal offseasons facing them entering 2026, and fortunately, they're uniquely positioned to attack it in any which way possible.

General manager Darren Mougey understands that and likely knows exactly what position groups the Jets need to address in order to put a winning product on the field next season. Otherwise, he and head coach Aaron Glenn may be looking for new jobs in 2027.

In an interview with team reporter Eric Allen, Mougey broke down the plans for free agency and even teased Jets fans with some insight into how aggressive they may be over the next month.

"I’m excited about the opportunity to add some veteran players to this team. We've got one of the younger rosters in the NFL right now, so I really believe we are going to be able to add some good veteran players in this free agency class that can inject some veteran experience & leadership onto this young team."

Darren Mougey

Darren Mougey teases Jets' free agency plans in recent interview

Clearly, the Jets know where they went wrong last offseason. They weren't overly aggressive in adding any key players besides quarterback Justin Fields, and that turned out to be a disaster. Re-signing linebacker Jamien Sherwood was a priority as well, but that contract has not aged well just one season into the three-year, $45 million deal.

Brandon Stephens turned out to be a decent signing, despite the initial shock of his larger-than-expected three-year, $36 million deal. Center Josh Myers and return specialist Kene Nwangwu were quality signings as well. But once again, there weren't any major splashes.

Expect that to change in 2026, with the Jets' braintrust's backs against the wall and flushed with almost $80 million in cap space, per Over the Cap. Breece Hall's extension and or franchise tag expects to eat into that, along with the possible re-signing of Alijah Vera-Tucker, but there's still plenty of room for the Jets to flash.

But the Jets can realistically be in on every high-end free agent, which should make the first week of free agency exceptionally exciting for fans hoping their team can land a big fish.

We'll see what kind of strings Glenn can pull from past connections with the Detroit Lions to bring over some of their departing talent, such as linebacker Alex Anzalone, edge Al-Quadin Muhammad, or cornerback Amik Robertson.

Even Mougey, who before taking the New York job was in the Denver Broncos front office, could reel defensive lineman John Franklin-Myers back for a second Jets stint.