Darren Mougey has unfortunate connection to infamous NY Jets coach

NY Jets fans are understandably excited about a new era of Jets football, with general manager Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn leading the charge. Mougey joins the team with widespread respect across the NFL and high expectations for his tenure.

It would be difficult for Mougey to fall short of the expectations set by his predecessors. The trio that came before him — Joe Douglas, Mike Maccagnan, and John Idzik — combined for a dismal 68-128 record during their tenures as Jets general manager.

Mougey is held in high regard around the NFL and was personally endorsed by both Denver Broncos general manager George Paton and head coach Sean Payton. He does have one skeleton in his closet that could spook Jets fans, however.

Mougey reportedly played a key role in the Broncos' coaching search that led to the hiring of Nathaniel Hackett, currently the Jets' offensive coordinator. Some have even suggested that Mougey was a driving force behind bringing in the former Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator.

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Darren Mougey played a large role in the hiring of future NY Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett

A report from Broncos insider Mike Klis from January 2022 goes into further detail about the role Mougey played in Hackett's hiring.

Klis revealed that Mougey, then seen as a "rising star in NFL personnel circles," finished Denver's interview process with Hackett over dinner before the then-Packers assistant flew back to Green Bay.

Two days later, Hackett was hired as the Broncos' head coach. It's safe to say that his meeting with Mougey likely contributed to that decision.

Of course, Mougey wasn’t Denver’s top decision-maker at the time. The Hackett hire was ultimately approved by Paton and Broncos ownership. However, it’s clear that Mougey still had a degree of influence in the process.

This doesn’t necessarily reflect on Mougey’s candidacy for the Jets' general manager position. No GM is without flaws, and it’s unreasonable to hold a decision made three years ago — when he wasn’t even the top decision-maker — against him.

Mougey's rapid rise up the ranks of the Broncos' organization from intern to area scout to assistant general manager in just 10 years speaks volumes about his qualifications as a future GM, far more than anything tied to the Hackett situation.

The team is certainly hoping the Hackett hire will become a small footnote in Mougey’s career as he works to usher in a new era of Jets football.

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