The New York Jets made two massive trades on Tuesday afternoon as Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn put a wrecking ball to this roster. The team traded away star cornerback Sauce Gardner and star defensive tackle Quinnen Williams.
This fire sale shows New York's clear intent to go all in on another rebuild. The combined return on both of these trades includes four draft picks, three of which are first-round picks, and two players in Adonai Mitchell and Mazi Smith.
Sitting at 1-7 on the season, it was clear that the Jets were going to be sellers at the deadline. The question was, how much would they sell off? Clearly, the answer was selling off major pieces, which sent shockwaves across the organization and around the NFL.
The Jets are now loaded up for the future. This regime's blueprint is clear — the pressure is now on Mougey and Glenn to execute the plan and get New York out of the doldrums.
The pressure is on Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn as Jets rebuild begins
Out of the three first-round picks that New York received on Tuesday, one comes in 2026 and the other two come in 2027. The Jets are now loaded over the next two drafts with five first-round picks; two in 2026 and three in 2027.
In total, New York boasts nine draft picks in the first two days of the draft across 2026 and 2027. Eight of those nine are first and second-round selections. The Jets are also projected to have $94 million in cap space in 2026.
This all sounds great, as it should, but Jets fans are also all too familiar with this type of plan not working because the football people making football decisions didn't press the right buttons.
Going back to 2021, the Jets at the time found themselves loaded with draft picks after the Jamal Adams trade, and around $80 million in cap space. Joe Douglas and the Jets boasted the money and draft picks required to rebuild a team that was coming out of an abysmal two years with Adam Gase.
Fast forward to November 2025, and the Jets are once again entering a rebuild very similar to the one they just came out of. Ultimately, Joe Douglas' biggest mistake was missing on Zach Wilson, along with other errors in the draft and free agency.
There were hits in the first round, most notably the 2022 draft class, but it clearly wasn't enough. Mougey and Glenn now take on a very similar situation.
For this regime, it starts with finding a franchise quarterback and supplementing that quarterback with the right pieces around him.
There are clear holes on offense that need to be filled, but New York does find itself having two bookend tackles in Olu Fashanu and Armand Membou, while key weapons include Garrett Wilson, Mason Taylor, and, for now, Breece Hall.
Defensively, Mougey and Glenn will have a lot of work to do at all three levels, including the crucial development of AZ Thomas, who now has to fill the shoes of Sauce Gardner. No easy task.
Tuesday afternoon was one of the craziest days in the history of this franchise. Which is saying something, considering there really is never a dull moment with the Jets.
The difference between Tuesday going down as one of the greatest days in franchise history or one of the worst days in franchise history falls on the shoulders of Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn.
The reputations of Mougey and Glenn are on the line. Hit on these draft picks and find the right pieces to supplement the roster in free agency, and the Jets set themselves up for success.
Swing and miss in the draft and free agency, and Mougey and Glenn will leave this franchise with more questions than answers again.