Jets GM Darren Mougey scouting potential quarterbacks in this year's draft class . . . and beyond
Jets general manager Darren Mougey speaks during a press conference at the NFL scouting combine in Indianapolis on Feb. 24. Credit: AP/Michael Conroy
PHOENIX – Darren Mougey said one of the priorities for the Jets this offseason was to add experienced players who can provide leadership. They certainly did that at quarterback where they acquired 35-year-old Geno Smith and already named him their starter heading into the coming season. But that’s also a position where the long-term health of the franchise likely requires them to get younger at some point very soon, too. It’s why Mougey and the rest of the Jets’ decision-makers have been busy scouting potential quarterbacks in this year’s draft class…and starting to think about the ones who could be in 2027’s.
“Those discussions happen a little bit,” the general manager said on Monday at the NFL’s annual meetings of looking ahead to what many believe will be a class rife with quarterback talent. “But really, we're so focused on the work we have to do now. There's so much work, and we've got so much opportunity this year in this class. Most of the focus is on them. I mean, there are some discussions about it, but those are big projections. We've all seen that landscape change, so you never know. You really need to be in the now and focus on the now.”
That has meant meeting with a pool of players that – assuming Fernando Mendoza goes first overall to the Raiders – is headlined by Alabama’s Ty Simpson. The Jets held a private workout for him in Tuscaloosa late last week after his pro day.
“It was a good visit with Ty,” Mougey said. “Really enjoyed the time down there. We went to dinner and had a workout in the morning with him. It was good.”
One of the big drawbacks on Simpson is that lack of experience the Jets were trying to overcome. He started just 15 games in college, all in 2025.
“Obviously we want the biggest sample size we can get,” Mougey said. “It's always projections with all these draft players, right? So the bigger sample size is you might feel a little better about it. But we'll still evaluate it, and there's a lot of good things to see in the games he did play.”
As for Smith, Mougey said the Jets did their homework on him last offseason when it became clear he would be traded from the Seahawks. He wound up with the Raiders and the Jets wound up with free agent Justin Fields which was not a winning result for either party. This year the Jets traded for their former second-round pick.
“We had good grades on him, and had some guys who were familiar with him,” Mougey said. “I felt he would be a good fit moving forward.”
The Jets clearly remain on the lookout for others who can be, too.
Notes & quotes: Mougey said negotiations with franchise-tagged running back Breece Hall are “in a good place” and he is “hopeful” a long-term agreement can be reached. He said after the draft he will return his attention to that process. Mougey also said no final decision has been made on picking up the fifth-year option for edge rusher Will McDonald IV but he expects the Jets will. The deadline for teams to exercise such options on first-round picks from the 2023 draft is May 1.
Tom Rock began covering sports for Newsday in 1996 and became its NFL columnist in 2022. He previously was Newsday's Giants beat writer beginning in 2008.
More Jets
