The New York Jets may have dropped a huge hint ahead of 2026 free agency.
General manager Darren Mougey sat down for a one-on-one interview with senior reporter Eric Allen at the NFL Combine. During that conversation, Mougey talked about their plans for free agency.
“I’m excited about the opportunity to add some veteran players to this team. We have one of the younger rosters in the NFL right now. So I really believe we are going to be able to add some really good veteran players in this free agency class that can inject some veteran experience and leadership onto this young team,” Mougey said.
‘I’m excited about the opportunity to add some veteran players to this team. We have one of the younger rosters in the #NFL right now. So I really believe we are going to be able to add
After final roster cuts in 2025, the Jets players on the roster had an average age of 25.81, according to the Philly Voice. That ranked sixth youngest in the NFL. The difference between the Jets at sixth and the youngest team in the league was 0.58.
A Change of Heart for the Jets
Last year, the Jets went on a youth movement in head coach Aaron Glenn’s first year.
“You can’t be afraid of young players,” Glenn said in May of 2025 via ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
When Cimini wrote that column, the Jets had only five players who were entering “their age-30 season or older: quarterback Tyrod Taylor (36), long-snapper Thomas Hennessy (31), wide receivers Allen Lazard (30) and Josh Reynolds (30), and guard Zack Bailey (30).”
At the time of publication, only one team had fewer players on the roster who were “age-30 and older players than the Jets, per Spotrac: the Green Bay Packers (four).”
Heading into the next phase of the offseason, the Jets have five players who are 30 years of age or older. That group includes placekicker Nick Folk, backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor, wideout Josh Reynolds, longsnapper Thomas Hennessy, and defensive tackle Harrison Phillips.
Three of those five players are set to be unrestricted free agents in March. That’ll bring that number down to two.
However, it sounds like the Jets plan on changing that strategy in 2026.
That Could Start at the Game’s Most Important Position
The Jets are in a desperate search to find their next quarterback.
Head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey said publicly that they like the options that are available this offseason.
Mougey said they will turn over every stone, and that could include trades, free agency, and the draft.
The draft appears to be a one-horse race, and the Las Vegas Raiders hold the No. 1 overall pick. The expectation is that Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza will be that selection.
So the Jets will have to look in other waters to find their answer, at least, for the 2026 season.
One option that will be available to consider is Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins. Atlanta GM Ian Cunningham “confirmed” that Cousins “will be released in March on the first day of the new league year, making him a free agent,” per NFL Insider Ari Meirov.
Cousins earned $100M during his two seasons with Atlanta.
ESPN’s Rich Cimini told me on “Boy Green Daily” that Cousins “is a name to watch” for the Jets this offseason.
Cousins, 37, will turn 38 before the start of the 2026 season.
Jets GM Darren Mougey Drops Big Free Agency Hint About Their Plans at the NFL Combine