The long and winding search is over.
The Jets hired Darren Mougey as their new general manager on Saturday after a search that began in late November and included interviews with 16 different candidates.
Mougey, 39, is the third-youngest GM in the NFL and joins the Jets after serving as the Broncos assistant GM since 2022.
He has been with the Broncos since 2012, rising from scouting intern to assistant GM.
The Jets will now hope Mougey and new head coach Aaron Glenn can lead the franchise out of the wilderness.
They are taking over a team that has not made the playoffs in 14 years, had nine straight losing seasons and last won a division title in 2002.
“Darren is a trusted NFL executive who has experience working with an impressive collection of football leaders,” Jets owner Woody Johnson said in a statement. “He is a proven talent evaluator who impressed us with his vision for this team. His partnership with coach Glenn will revitalize this organization. I am proud of the thorough search we undertook and that it led us to the two best individuals to lead our football team going forward.”
Mougey and Glenn will be introduced at a news conference Monday in Florham Park.
Mougey has worked under two different GMs — John Elway and, more recently, George Paton.
He was part of a Super Bowl-winning team in 2015 and helped the Broncos get back to the playoffs this season despite having a league-high $89 million in dead money on the salary cap.
That number cut the margin of error down for the team in its offseason moves and the front office could not afford many misses.
The Arizona native attended San Diego State, where he was teammates with Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell. Mougey is 6-foot-6 and is said to have a presence about him when he walks into a room.
He is known as a good communicator and has survived six different head coaches in Denver.
“It is one of the great honors and privileges of my life to serve as the general manager of the New York Jets,” Mougey said in a statement. “I want to thank Mr. Johnson for this responsibility, one I do not take lightly. I could not be more excited to work alongside coach Glenn to build a championship team that will make Jets fans proud.”
Mougey and Glenn have not worked together before but Mougey was involved in interviewing Glenn for the Broncos head coaching job in 2022.
Roles were reversed on Thursday with Glenn now interviewing Mougey for the GM job.
Mougey first interviewed on Jan. 11 in Florida. He had a second interview on Thursday in Florham Park.
The Jets also interviewed Bengals senior personnel executive Trey Brown and Commanders assistant GM Lance Newmark a second time.
The Jets were impressed with Mougey’s communication skills and felt he explained his vision for the team clearly and he has a good plan.
Mougey has served in a variety of roles in Denver and the Jets felt he had experience in a variety of different areas that a GM must deal with.
He’s also been involved in a search for a franchise quarterback.
The Broncos went from having Peyton Manning early in his time with the team to searching for his replacement with some misses along the way, most notably Russell Wilson. Mougey was then involved in selecting Bo Nix last year and that looks like a strong draft choice.
The Jets are replacing Joe Douglas, who held the job from 2019 until November when he was fired in midseason.
The Jets fired Douglas to get a jump-start on their GM search.
Mougey and Glenn have some tough decisions to make immediately.
They must figure out whether quarterback Aaron Rodgers should return for a third season with the Jets.
Rodgers has said he is contemplating retirement, but if he does return the Jets would be his first choice.
Wide receiver Davante Adams is under contract but his deal will need to be reworked if he returns. Adams’ future could be tied to Rodgers.
Then, there are the young stars.
Wide receiver Garrett Wilson and cornerback Sauce Gardner are eligible for contract extensions as they enter their fourth seasons.
