The Biggest Jets Mistake Darren Mougey Made at NFL Trade Deadline

The Jets GM still has a ways to go.

New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey speaks at a press conference during training camp at Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

General managers make mistakes all the time in the NFL - even the most elite in the league.

What separates a good GM from a great GM, though, is his ability to correct his mistakes and put the team in a position to succeed either now or in the future.

The jury is still out on what kind of general manager Darren Mougey is for the New York Jets. He's made some excellent moves and some head-scratchers. For the most part, he's done his job. The Jets are a better football team because of the talent he has acquired.

But Mougey made one mistake during the NFL trade deadline. One that won't have any long-term implications or isn't even entirely his fault.

As Jets fans begin to turn on their current GM for a lack of moves on Tuesday, it's the one move he isn't going to be able to shake that people are overlooking...yet.

Mougey's lone mistake from the deadline

If you ask most Jets fans, Mougey's biggest mistake came when the team failed to move Will McDonald after a trade request. Even McDonald was clear in his demands.

"I just want to clear everything up," McDonald said. "There's no hard feelings with the coaches and staff or anybody here. I just want to play, and I just want to help the team win."

In reality, though, not moving McDonald is not Mougey's mistake.

It's not doing enough to gain full control of the Jets' roster management...yet.

Let's be clear: Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn have been in lockstep from the very beginning. Both have talked about there being a sort of 50-50 split on personnel matters, and the lack of a McDonald trade is as much a Jets organizational decision as it is a Glenn or owner call.

However, while Glenn has certainly helped the Jets in scouting and roster management, his in-gamecoaching is the team's biggest problem right now. And it shows in his 5-21 record.

Mougey is shielded from that record, especially since the one thing he is tasked with (building the roster), he's done a pretty good job. The one thing Glenn is tasked with (winning) has not been accomplished.

The reality is that I have a hard time believing the Jets will clear house this offseason if they fail to reach their win goals under Glenn. If they were to fire the coaching staff, the belief is that Mougey would get a chance to not only pick his head coach but also a rookie quarterback.

That's where the lone mistake comes in. Mougey is clearly sharing responsibility with the team right now, with Glenn. He doesn't have full control along the lines of other general managers around the league, like Howie Roseman or Les Snead. That's ok for where the Jets are now. They won't give him full control as long as they want their head coach to succeed.

That said, until Mougey has full control, it will be the one thing missing from his resume. Once he does, the ownership of record and everything else will be under him.

Until that time, the fact that he doesn't have a full 100% say is his biggest mistake. Is it arbitrary? Maybe. But that's to be expected with the Jets having a 2-7 record.

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