On Monday, the Jets introduced new GM Darren Mougey and head coach Aaron Glenn to the press. But words will not give Jets fans what they most desire—a playoff-caliber team.
Aaron Glenn discussed his upbringing and his objectives for the team, and it’s clear that he is a master behind the microphone. The problem is that the game isn’t played there. That’s why there’s no honeymoon for Glenn or Darren Mougey, the new Jets GM—not with a team suffering through the longest postseason drought in American pro sports.
Jets fans have heard the positives and promises before, and this time, they want results, not verbiage. Job #1 is finding the right quarterback, which starts with the answer to a big question: Will it be Aaron Rodgers?
Glenn seems open to Rodgers coming back. For all of Rodgers’ issues, he gives the new Jets head coach the best chance to do well right now. Looking at the quarterbacks in the open market, do any of them sound appealing? Probably not, and Tyrod Taylor is, at best, backup material.
The Jets can do a lot worse with Rodgers, and maybe Glenn’s presence can bring the fire back to him. There would be better solutions in a perfect world, but it’s not. That said, whether the Jets quarterback-in-limbo wants to back remains to be seen.
Moughey (L) and Glenn at Monday’s introductory press conference (photo, North Jersey.com)
Getting a quarterback the caliber of Jayden Daniels, Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson would be like winning the lottery. But that’s Mougey’s job.
Jets fans remember when then-GM Mike Maccagnan drafted USC quarterback Sam Darnold as the third overall draft pick in 2018. He figured he had his guy, but Darnold was a bust in Green and White, and that miscalculation and other draft miscues cost him his job. Later, then-GM Joe Douglas figured he fixed the problem by drafting BYU quarterback Zach Wilson with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2021 draft. We know how that turned out.
So, what will Mougey fare? At best, slim pickings in this year’s quarterback class may force him to wait until 2026 or beyond. So, it’s unclear how the Jets will address the QB position in the short term.
What does it all mean? One answer is Jets fans’ worst nightmare. Three years from now, another press conference will introduce a new head coach and GM. Fans will hear the same tired rhetoric: promises of a winning team (a playoff team) and a quarterback who will get them there. Please, no!
