Could general manager Darren Mougey be up to his old tricks?
ESPN’s Rich Cimini told fans to “keep an eye on” Mougey, making some trades for the New York Jets.
“Darren Mougey is a proactive general manager who has made 13 player trades in the past 12 months. What’s up his sleeve this summer? They could use help at safety, quarterback (depth), linebacker (depth), and offensive line (depth). The player with the most trade value is edge rusher Will McDonald IV, and he could spark some interest from teams, as he did before last season’s trade deadline. In terms of contract extensions, it should be a quiet summer. Mougey got his work done early, locking up running back Breece Hall and guard Joe Tippmann,” Cimini wrote.
Top Positions That Could Be of Interest
The Jets have one locked-in-stone starter at safety in Minkah Fitzpatrick. The rest of the room is an interesting crop of veterans, role players, a rookie, and a second-year hopeful.
That’s a fancy way of saying they could definitely use some help. However, in a perfect scenario, Malachi Moore makes a huge leap in year No. 2 and emphatically takes that job opposite of Fitzpatrick at safety. If that doesn’t happen, Mougey might have to explore the market.
Offensive linemen are hard to find. Normally, teams aren’t in a rush to trade away those players if they have a surplus. If someone is crazy enough to do it, the Jets should investigate. This past year, the Jets used the same five offensive linemen all year long. The chances of that happening in back-to-back years? Slim.
We’ve had the quarterback conversation all offseason. It’s similar to what we discussed at safety. In a perfect world, rookie Cade Klubnik would seize that No. 2 job over the coming weeks. However, if he fails to impress, the Jets should see what else is out there.
How a McDonald Trade Could Come to Fruition
Cimini mentioned McDonald as the player on the roster with the “most” trade value. It would be surprising if he were moved before the season.
If the Jets were going to pull the trigger on a trade, you’d figure that would have happened months ago. That would have provided the team with an asset to replace him if that happened before the draft. Or a chance to add some more depth at pass rusher to fill the void.
The only way I could see the Jets trading McDonald is a last resort scenario ahead of the trade deadline. If the Jets have a terrible record and it’s clear changes are coming, the team could flip McDonald to a contender at the deadline.
If things are going well for the Jets, it would behoove them to keep McDonald so they can continue to win and to have critical depth at pass rusher.
The Jets have received trade calls in the past about McDonald. He is talented, and there is clearly untapped potential that lies beneath the surface. The green and white are hoping they can tap into that in 2026.
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