It hasn't been a happy autumn for New York Jets general manager Darren Mougey, whose goodwill and optimism have been cut short by a 1-7 start. The Jets are, by all accounts, a bad football team, and without a few lucky wins to cloud their decisions, they are expected to sell before the trade deadline.
That process began on Wednesday, when New York traded cornerback Michael Carter II and a 2027 seventh-round pick to the Philadelphia Eagles for receiver John Metchie III and a 2027 sixth-round selection.
New York didn't shock anyone with this deal, nor did it make out incredibly well from a draft capital perspective. In a low-leverage trade like this, that's par for the course. However, Jets fans can still take something from Mougey's trend of in-season trades.
What New York's trade means for Mougey
It is not a coincidence that the Jets got a player as part of the package back for Carter.
Of course, Metchie wasn't tilting the value charts in New York's favor. He has four catches for 18 yards this season and as many career touchdowns as fumbles. This is an extraneous piece for just about every team in football.
Yet, he could very well carve out a role for himself with the Jets. Star receiver Garrett Wilson is the lone quality starter in the receiving corps. Metchie won't change that in a day, but he offers new blood to a room headlined by Tyler Johnson and Allen Lazard while Wilson monitors a knee injury. Without him, it's arguably the worst unit in football, leaving yards on the table and adding another obstacle in New York's troubling path to passing yards.
The Jets have little to lose and much to gain from Metchie potentially producing in a starting role, allowing the braintrust to evaluate the offense with an eye toward 2026. It's a shot in the dark, sure, but this far from playoff contention, the only risk is opportunity cost.
Furthermore, this isn't the first time Mougey has added to a roster that was never going to be competitive in Year 1 of the administration. The defensive line looked brutal early in camp. Trading for Harrison Phillips and Jowon Briggs fortified the interior, immediately improved the run defense, and ensured that the Jets could at least pretend to contend long enough to self-scout themselves across the rest of the unit.
MORE: Michael Carter II makes bold $5 million decision to facilitate trade from Jets to Eagles
Early in the year, New York added another player ripe for a change of scenery, trading for Tennessee Titans corner Jarvis Brownlee Jr. He's been a revelation in green and white, taking Carter's job, setting the tone with his energy and competitive toughness, and emerging as a building block in the secondary.
Metchie, derailed by leukemia and a college ACL tear, hasn't lived up to his second-round draft capital. But with early-round pedigree, strong athleticism, and a chance to earn himself a raise after the season, there's a path for him to produce.
Mougey has had his misses, whiffing on some late-round picks and failing to add proper depth to the receiving corps and defensive line. But he's proactively added to a flawed roster without wasting real capital, stacking good-process decisions to ensure next season doesn't start as poorly as 2025.
For a team counting on head coach Aaron Glenn's culture to change things in East Rutherford, this seemingly low-leverage swap is a sign that the front office is on the same page. Organizational cohesion is a win for Florham Park, even if its returns aren't immediate.
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